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diff --git a/old/69727-0.txt b/old/69727-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index bade98e..0000000 --- a/old/69727-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11551 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The land of gold, by Walter Colton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The land of gold - or, Three years in California - -Author: Walter Colton - -Release Date: January 7, 2023 [eBook #69727] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from - images generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAND OF GOLD *** - - -[Illustration: Burt, sc.] - - - - - THE LAND OF GOLD; - OR, - =Three Years in California.= - - - BY - - REV. WALTER COLTON, U. S. N., - - AUTHOR OF “SHIP AND SHORE,” &c. - - * * * * * - - =New York:= - - D. W. EVANS & CO., 677 BROADWAY. - - 1860. - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year Eighteen Hundred and - fifty, - BY S. A. ROLLO & COMPANY, - In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the - Southern District of New York. - - - - - TO - - GEN. MARIANO GUADALUPE VALLEJO, - - ONE OF CALIFORNIA’S DISTINGUISHED SONS, - - IN WHOM - - THE INTERESTS OF FREEDOM, HUMANITY, AND EDUCATION - - HAVE FOUND AN ABLE ADVOCATE AND MUNIFICENT BENEFACTOR - - =This Volume= - - IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED - - BY HIS FRIEND - - THE AUTHOR. - - - - - PREFACE. - - -Many events of moment occurred in California during my residence of -three years in that country, and which were sketched in a journal kept -by me at the time. They are interspersed with anecdotes and incidents of -a less general concern, but which may not be without some interest with -the reader, as affording a clue to the leading features of society, and -traits of individual character. The circle of engaging objects in a -community, just emerging into the refinements of civilization, is never -broad; but every phase in the great change going on possesses an intense -individuality, and leaves its ineffaceable impression, like a ship -sweeping a solitary sea, or a bird scaling a sunset cloud. California -will be no more what she has been: the events of a few years have -carried her through the progressive changes of a century. She has sprung -at once from the shackles of colonial servitude to all the advantages -and dignities of a sovereign state. - -Her emigrants are rushing from every continent and isle; they crest -every mountain, they cover every sea; they sweep in like a cloud from -the Pacific, they roll down like a torrent from the slopes of the Sierra -Nevada. They crowd to her bosom to gather gold; their hammers and -drills, their mattocks and spades divert the deep stream, and are echoed -from a thousand caverned hills; the level plain, the soaring cliff and -wombed mountain, give up their glowing treasures. But the gifts of -nature here are not confined to her sparkling sands and veined rocks, -they extend to the productive forces of her soil; they lie along her -water-courses, through her verdant valleys, and wave in her golden -grain; they reel in her vintage, they blush in her fruits, while her -soft zephyrs, as they float the landscape, scatter perfume from their -odorous wings. - -But with all these gifts disease is here with its pale victims, and -sorrow with its willow-wove shrine. There is no land less relieved by -the smiles and soothing cares of woman. If Eden with its ambrosial -fruits and guiltless joys was still sad till the voice of woman mingled -with its melodies, California, with all her treasured hills and streams, -must be cheerless till she feels the presence of the same enchantress. -It is woman alone that can make a home for the human heart, and evoke -from the recesses of nature the bright and beautiful: where her -footsteps light, the freshest flowers spring; where her voice swells, -the softest echoes wake: her smiles garland the domestic hearth; her -sympathy melts through the deepest folds of grief; her love clothes the -earth with light. When night invests the heaven, when the soft pleiads -in their storm-rocked cradle sleep, and the sentinel stars on their -watch-towers wane dim, her vigil flame still pours its faithful beam, -still struggles with the encroaching darkness till the day-spring and -the shadows flee away. Of all these sources of solace and hope -multitudes in California are now bereft; but the ties of kindred, the -quick-winged ship, and the steed of flame, on his iron-paved track, will -soon secure them these priceless gifts. The miner, returning from his -toil, will yet half forget the labors of the day in the greetings of his -home: - - “At length his lonely cot appears in view, - Beneath the shelter of an aged tree; - Th’ expectant _wee things_, toddlin’, stacher thro’ - To meet their dad, wi’ flichterin noise an’ glee. - His wee bit ingle, blinkin’ bonnily, - His clean hearth-stane, his thriftie _wifie’s_ smile, - The lisping infant prattling on his knee, - Does a’ his weary carking cares beguile, - An’ makes him quite forget his labor an’ his toil.” - - PHILADELPHIA, July, 1850. - - W. C. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - Page - - CHAPTER I.—The flag.—Meeting of citizens.—Disposition of - forces.—Col. Fremont’s band.—Alcalde of Monterey.—Indian - mother.—Military leaders.—A California farm 13 - - CHAPTER II.—Fecundity of the Californians.—First intelligence of - the war.—Wild Indians on board ship.—The chief.—First newspaper - published in California.—Raising the materials.—The rival - suitors.—Flight of Gen. Castro.—A Californian on horseback 27 - - CHAPTER III.—A thief obeying orders.—Game.—No penitentiary - system.—The California cart on a gala day.—The runaway - daughter.—Faith of the Indians.—Return from the war.—First trial - by jury.—Indian and his squaw on the hunt.—Whales in the - bay.—The two gamblers.—Ladies on horseback.—Merriment in - death.—The Englishman and his mistress 39 - - CHAPTER IV.—Funeral ceremonies.—Elected alcalde.—Flight of Gen. - Castro.—Los Angeles taken.—Oven-bath.—Grog in a chimney.—The - flea.—First rain.—Rising of the Californians.—Measures of Com. - Stockton.—Mormons 54 - - CHAPTER V.—Fire on the mountains.—Emigrants.—Pistols and - pillows.—Leaders of the insurrection.—California plough.—Defeat - at San Pedro.—Col. Fremont’s band.—The Malek Adhel.—Monterey - threatened.—Soldier outwitted.—Raising men.—Bridegroom.—Culprits 72 - - CHAPTER VI.—Santa Barbara taken.—Lieut. Talbot and his - ten.—Gambling in prison.—Recruits.—A funny culprit.—Movements of - Com. Stockton.—Beauty and the grave.—Battle on the Salinas.—The - captain’s daughter.—Stolen pistols.—Indian behind a - tree.—Nuptials in California 89 - - CHAPTER VII.—San José garrisoned—A California rain.—Escape of - convicts.—Shooting Edwards.—Two washerwomen.—Death of Mr. - Sargent.—Indian hens.—Hunting curlew.—The California horse.—An - old emigrant.—The grizzly bear 106 - - CHAPTER VIII.—Little Adelaida.—Col. Fremont’s battalion.—Santiago - In love.—Sentiments of an old Californian.—The prize - Julia.—Fandango.—Winter climate.—Patron Saint of - California.—Habits of the natives.—Insurrection in the - north.—Drama in a church.—Position of Com. Stockton 121 - - CHAPTER IX.—Day of the Santos Innocentes.—Letting off a - lake.—Arrival of the Dale with home letters.—The dead - year.—Newly-arrived emigrants.—Egg-breaking - festivities.—Concealment of Chaves.—Plot to capture the alcalde 134 - - CHAPTER X.—Destruction of dogs.—The wash-tub mail.—The surrender - in the north.—Robbing the Californians.—Death-scene in a - shanty.—The men who took up arms.—Arrival of the - Independence.—Destitution of our troops.—Capture of los Angeles 149 - - CHAPTER XI.—Arrival of the Lexington.—The march to los Angeles, - and battle of San Gabriel.—The capitulation.—Military - characteristics of the Californians.—Barricades down 163 - - CHAPTER XII.—Return of T. O. Larkin.—The tall partner in the - Californian.—Mexican officers.—The Cyane.—War mementoes.—Drama - of Adam and Eve.—Carnival.—Birth-day of Washington.—A California - captain.—Application for a divorce.—Arrival of the Columbus 173 - - CHAPTER XIII.—The people of Monterey.—The guitar and runaway - wife.—Mother ordered to flog her son.—Work of the - prisoners.—Catching sailors.—Court of Admiralty.—Gamblers caught - and fined.—Lifting land boundaries 189 - - CHAPTER XIV.—A convict who would not work.—Lawyers at - Monterey.—Who conquered California.—Ride to a - rancho.—Leopaldo.—Party of Californians.—A dash into the - forests.—Chasing a deer.—Killing a bear.—Ladies with - fire-arms.—A mother and volunteer 199 - - CHAPTER XV.—A California pic-nic.—Seventy and seventeen in the - dance.—Children in the grove.—A California bear-hunt.—The bear - and bull bated.—The Russian’s cabbage head 210 - - CHAPTER XVI.—A Californian jealous of his wife.—Hospitality of the - natives.—Honors to Guadalupe.—Application from a Lothario for a - divorce.—Capture of Mazatlan.—Larceny of Canton shawls.—An - emigrant’s wife claiming to have taken the country.—A wild - bullock in Main-street 220 - - CHAPTER XVII.—Rains in California.—Functions of the alcalde of - Monterey.—Orphans in California.—Slip of the gallows - rope.—Making a father whip his boy.—A convict as prison - cook.—The Kanacka.—Thom. Cole.—A man robbing himself.—A - blacksmith outwitted 230 - - CHAPTER XVIII.—First discovery of gold.—Prison guard.—Incredulity - about the gold.—Santiago getting married.—Another lump of - gold.—Effects of the gold fever.—The court of an - alcalde.—Mosquitoes as constables.—Bob and his bag of - gold.—Return of citizens from the mines.—A man with the gold - cholic.—The mines on individual credit 242 - - CHAPTER XIX.—Tour to the gold mines.—Loss of horses.—First night - in the woods.—Arrival at San Juan.—Under way.—Camping out.—Bark - of the wolves.—Watch-fires.—San José.—A fresh start.—Camping on - the slope of a hill.—Wild features of the country.—Valley of the - San Joaquin.—Band of wild horses 257 - - CHAPTER XX.—The grave of a gold-hunter.—Mountain spurs.—A company - of Sonoranians.—A night alarm.—First view of the - mines.—Character of the deposits.—A woman and her pan.—Removal - to other mines.—Wild Indians and their weapons.—Cost of - provisions.—A plunge into a gold river.—Machines used by the - gold-diggers 269 - - CHAPTER XXI.—Lump of gold lost.—Indians at their game of - arrows.—Camp of the gold-hunters.—A Sonoranian - gold-digger.—Sabbath in the mines.—The giant Welchman.—Nature of - gold deposits.—Average per man.—New discoveries 282 - - CHAPTER XXII.—Visit to the Sonoranian camp.—Festivities and - gambling.—The doctor and teamster.—An alcalde turned cook.—The - miner’s tattoo.—The little Dutchman.—New deposits discovered.—A - woman keeping a monté table.—Up to the knee and nine-pence.—The - volcanoes and gold.—Arrival of a barrel of rum 295 - - CHAPTER XXIII.—Natural amphitheatre.—No scientific clue to the - deposits of gold.—Soil of the mines.—Life among the - gold-diggers.—Loss of our caballada.—The old man and - rock.—Departure from the mines.—Travelling among gorges and - pinnacles.—Instincts of the mule.—A mountain cabin 309 - - CHAPTER XXIV.—A lady in the mountains.—Town of Stockton.—Crossing - the valley of the San Joaquin.—The robbed father and boy.—Ride - to San José.—Rum in California.—Highwayman.—Woodland - life.—Rachel at the well.—Farewell to my camping-tree 324 - - CHAPTER XXV.—Cause of sickness in the mines.—The quicksilver - mines.—Heat and cold in the mines.—Traits in the Spanish - character.—Health of California ladies.—A word to mothers.—The - pingrass and blackbird.—The Redwood-tree.—Battle of the eggs 339 - - CHAPTER XXVI.—The public domain.—Scenery around - Monterey.—Vineyards of los Angeles.—Beauty of San Diego.—The - culprit hall.—The rush for gold.—Land titles.—The Indian - doctress.—Tufted partridge.—Death of Com. Biddle 351 - - CHAPTER XXVII.—The gold region.—Its locality, nature, and - extent.—Foreigners in the mines.—The Indians’ discovery of - gold.—Agricultural capabilities of California.—Services of - United States officers.—First decisive movement for the - organization of a civil government.—Intelligence of the death of - Gen. Kearny 365 - - CHAPTER XXVIII.—Ride of Col. Fremont from los Angeles to Monterey - and back.—Character of the country.—The rincon.—Skeletons of - dead horses.—A stampede.—Gray bears.—The return.—The two horses - rode by Col. Fremont.—An experiment.—The result.—Characteristics - of the California horse.—Fossil remains.—The two classes of - emigrants.—Life in California.—Heads against tails 377 - - CHAPTER XXIX.—The tragedy at San Miguel.—Court and culprits.—Age - and circumstances of those who should come to - California.—Condition of the professions.—The wrongs of - California.—Claims on the Christian community.—Journalists 391 - - CHAPTER XXX.—The gold-bearing quartz.—Their locality.—Richness and - extent.—The suitable machinery to be used in the mountains.—The - court of admiralty at Monterey.—Its organization and - jurisdiction.—The cases determined.—Sale of the - prizes.—Convention and Constitution of California.—Difficulties - and compromises.—Spirit of the instrument 403 - - CHAPTER XXXI.—Glances at towns sprung and springing.—San - Francisco.—Benicia.—Sacramento - City.—Sutter.—Vernon.—Boston.—Stockton.—New - York.—Alvezo.—Stanislaus.—Sonora.—Crescent City.—Trinidad 414 - - CHAPTER XXXII.—Brief notices of persons, whose portraits embellish - this volume, and who are prominently connected with California - affairs 425 - - CHAPTER XXXIII.—The mission establishments in California.—Their - origin, objects, localities, lands, revenues, - overthrow.—California Railroad 439 - - - - - LIST OF PORTRAITS. - - - CAPTAIN JOHN A. SUTTER. - THOMAS O. LARKIN, ESQ. - HON. J. C. FREMONT. - HON. WM. M. GWIN. - HON. G. W. WRIGHT. - JACOB R. SNYDER. - - - - - A LIST - OF THE DELEGATES IN CONVENTION - ASSEMBLED AT MONTEREY, UPPER CALIFORNIA, SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, A. D. - 1849. - - - ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── - NAMES. WHERE BORN. RESIDENCE. AGE. - ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── - Robert Semple. Kentucky. Benicia. Forty-two. - John A. Sutter. Switzerland. New Helvetia. Forty-seven. - Thomas O. Larkin. Massachusetts. Monterey. Forty-seven. - M. G. Vallejo. California. Sonoma. Forty-two. - Wm. M. Gwin. Tennessee. San Francisco. Forty-four. - H. W. Halleck. New York. Monterey. Thirty-two. - Wm. M. Steuart. Maryland. San Francisco. Forty-nine. - Joseph Hobson. Do. Do. Thirty-nine. - Thos. L. Vermeule. New Jersey. Loetown. Thirty-five. - O. M. Wozencraft. Ohio. San Joaquin. Thirty-four. - B. F. Moore. Florida. Do. Twenty-nine. - Wm. E. Shannon. New York. Sacramento. Twenty-seven. - Winfield S. Do. Do. Thirty-two. - Sherwood. - Elam Brown. Do. San José. Fifty-two. - Joseph Aram. Do. Do. Thirty-nine. - J. D. Hoppe. Maryland. Do. Thirty-five. - Jno. McDougal. Ohio. Sutter. Thirty-two. - Elisha O. Crosby. Tompkins Co., N. Y. Vernon. Thirty-four. - K. H. Dimmick. New York. Pueblo San José. Thirty-four. - Julian Hanks. Connecticut. Do. Thirty-seven. - M. M. McCarver. Kentucky. Sacramento City. Forty-two. - Francis J. Lippitt. Rhode Island. San Francisco. Thirty-seven. - Rodman M. Price. New York. Do. Thirty. - Lewis Dent. Missouri. Monterey. Twenty-six. - Henry Hill. Virginia. Do. Thirty-three. - Ch. T. Botts. Do. Do. Forty. - Myron Norton. Vermont. San Francisco. Twenty-seven. - J. M. Jones. Kentucky. San Joaquin. Twenty-five. - P. Sainsevain. Bordeaux. San José. Trente ans. - José M. Covarrubias. France. Santa Barbara. Forty-one. - Antonio M^a. Pico. California. San José. Forty. - Jacinto Rodriguez. Do. Monterey. Thirty-six. - Stephen C. Foster. Maine. Los Angeles. Twenty-eight. - Henry A. Tefft. New York. San Luis Obispo. Twenty-six. - J. M. H. Maryland. San Joaquin. Twenty-five. - Hollingsworth. - Abel Stearns. Massachusetts. Los Angeles. Fifty-one. - Hugh Reid. Scotland. San Gabriel. Thirty-eight. - Benj. S. Lippincott. New York. San Joaquin. Thirty-four. - Joel P. Walker. Virginia. Sonoma. Fifty-two. - Jacob R. Snyder. Pennsylvania. Sacramento City. Thirty-four. - L. W. Hastings. Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Sacramento. Thirty. - Pablo de la Guerra. California. Santa Barbara. Thirty. - José Ant^o. Do. Angeles. Fifty-three. - Carrillo. - Man^l. Dominguez. Do. Do. Forty-six. - P. Ord. Maryland. Monterey. Thirty-three. - Edw. Gilbert. New York. San Francisco. Twenty-seven. - Miguel de Pedrorena. Spain. San Diego. Forty-one. - A. J. Ellis. New York. San Francisco. Thirty-three. - -[Illustration: VALLEY OF THE SACRAMENTO AND SAN JOAQUIN. _J. W. ORR. -N.Y._] - - - - - THREE YEARS IN CALIFORNIA. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE FLAG.—MEETING OF CITIZENS.—DISPOSITION OF FORCES.—COL. FREMONT’S - BAND.—ALCALDE OF MONTEREY.—INDIAN MOTHER.—MILITARY LEADERS.—A - CALIFORNIA FARM. - -A few words will place within the clear comprehension of the reader, the -posture of public affairs in California at the time my journal opens. -The U. S. flag was raised at Monterey and San Francisco on the 10th of -July, 1846. This event was wholly unexpected by the Californians, and -struck the public heart with the deepest surprise; other causes of alarm -and apprehension faded into shadow in the presence of this decisive -measure; they were the admonitory vibrations, but here was the -earthquake itself. The people were more astounded than indignant, and -quite as intent over problems of preservation as measures of resistance. - -At a public meeting held at Monterey, in which the patriotism, talents, -and sagacity of the country were largely represented, the question of -throwing the territory under the protection of England, through the -naval forces commanded by Admiral Seymour, who was on the coast at the -time, was excitingly discussed. But this proposition received its -quietus under the successful railery of Don Raphael, of Monterey. “Our -object,” said this witty counsellor, “is to preserve our country; but -she is gone,—California is lost to us: and this proposal to invoke the -protection of England, is only to seek another _owner_. The redress is -worthy of the market-woman: a dog had robbed her hamper of a leg of -mutton, and she sent another dog more powerful after him to get it away; -when asked what good that would do her, she replied, it would be some -satisfaction to see the _first_ dog deprived of the stolen leg. And so -it is with us; the mutton is gone, and a choice of the dog only remains: -others may prefer the bull-dog, but I prefer the regular hound; he has -outstripped the other in the chase, and so let him have the game.” The -convention broke up without adopting any decisive measures; leaving each -one to act as his impulses or convictions of duty suggested. - -The military forces of the country were at this time under the command -of Gen. José Castro, an officer of high pretensions, but utterly -deficient in strength and steadiness of purpose, and that capacity which -can work out important results with slender and inapposite means. His -followers had gathered to him with as little discipline, sobriety, and -order, as would characterize a bear-hunt. Their prime impulse lay in the -excitement which the camp presented. It was the same thing to them -whether their weapon was a rifle or a guitar,—whether they were going to -a skirmish or a fandango. With six or eight hundred of these waltzing -warriors Gen. Castro was now on his march into the southern department, -with the evident purpose of taking up his position near the Pueblo de -los Angeles. - -Such was the posture of affairs when Com. Stockton resolved to rest in -no half-way measures. The wave had been set in motion and must roll on, -or its returning force might sweep him and his temporary garrisons into -the Pacific. And yet aggressive measures in the present condition of the -squadron seemed to border on rashness. The Portsmouth, under Commander -Montgomery, must be left at San Francisco to garrison the posts occupied -by the flag; the Savannah, commanded by Capt. Mervin, must remain here -to hold Monterey; the Warren, under Commander Hull, was at Mazatlan; -only the Congress, Lieut. Livingston commanding, and the Cyane, under -Commander Du Pont, remained. With the crews of these, and a hundred and -sixty men under Col. Fremont, California was to be conquered and held, -and this too in the presence or defeat of a military force that had the -entire resources of the country at their command. But a gallant purpose -will often achieve what a questioning prudence would relinquish. The -mountain torrent, with its impetuosity, sweeps away the barrier which -effectually obstructs the level stream. - - -MONDAY, JULY 27. The bustle of preparation is active in the squadron. -Commander Du Pont received orders last evening to have the Cyane ready -for sea in twenty-four hours. She has tripped this afternoon, and is off -for San Diego, though it has been given out on shore that she is bound -elsewhere, but this is a war-stratagem. She has on board Col. Fremont -and a hundred and fifty of his riflemen. The wind is fresh, and they are -by this time cleverly sea-sick, and lying about the deck in a spirit of -resignation that would satisfy the non-resistant principles of a Quaker. -Two or three resolute old women might tumble the whole of them into the -sea. But they will rally before they reach their port, and see that -their rifles spring true to their trust. - -The colonel is a man of small stature, of slender but wiry formation, -and with a countenance indicative of decision and firmness. This is the -fifth time he has crossed the continent in connection with his -scientific purposes. His enterprises are full of hardship, peril, and -the wildest romance. To sleep under the open heaven, and depend on one’s -rifle for food, is coming about as near the primitive state of the -hunter as a civilized man can well get; and yet this life, in his case, -is adorned with the triumphs of science. The colonel and his band are to -land at San Diego, secure horses, and advance upon the position of Gen. -Castro, at los Angeles. - - “War’s great events lie so in Fortune’s scale, - That oft a feather’s weight may kick the beam.” - - -TUESDAY, JULY 28. Com. Stockton informed me to-day that I had been -appointed Alcalde of Monterey and its jurisdiction. I had dreamed in the -course of my life, as most people have, of the thousand things I might -become, but it never entered my visions that I should succeed to the -dignity of a Spanish alcalde. I much preferred my berth on board the -Congress, and that the judicial functions in question should continue to -be discharged by the two intelligent gentlemen, Purser R. M. Price and -Dr. Edward Gilchrist, upon whom they had been devolved. But the services -of these officers were deemed indispensable to the efficiency of the -ships to which they were attached. This left me no alternative; my -trunks were packed, my books boxed, and in an hour I was on shore, a -guest in the house of our consul, T. O. Larkin, Esq., whose munificent -hospitalities reach every officer of the squadron, and every functionary -in the interest of the flag. This is the more appreciated from the fact -that there is not a public table or hotel in all California. High and -low, rich and poor, are thrown together on the private liberality of the -citizens. Though a quasi war exists, all the amenities and courtesies of -life are preserved; your person, life, and liberty, are as sacred at the -hearth of the Californian as they would be at your own fireside. He will -never betray you; the rights of hospitality, in his generous judgment, -require him to peril his own life in defence of yours. He may fight you -on the field, but in his family, you may dance with his daughters, and -he will himself wake the waltzing string. - - -WEDNESDAY, JULY 29. The sloop-of-war Levant, under Commander Page, -sailed to-day, with Com. Sloat on board, for the United States. We gave -the commodore a parting salute. He has rendered the squadron under his -command efficient, and preserved harmony among the officers. The -expediency of his measures in California will be canvassed elsewhere. He -acted on the light and intelligence within his reach. If war has been -declared, the laurel awaits him. - -The Levant takes home in her my friend, Lieut. T——: he has resigned his -commission in the navy, and takes orders in the church. He is a pretty -good classical scholar, and has made himself familiar with the -principles of biblical exegesis. All this has been accomplished during -those few leisure hours which the duties of a watch-officer leave one at -sea. It is seemingly reversing the order of things for the navy to -supply the church with spiritual teachers. But few, however, have left -the deck for the pulpit; a much larger number have reached it from the -diagrams and drills of West Point. Among them are some of our most -eloquent and impressive preachers. Of this class is the present Bishop -of Ohio. - -We have all been busy in writing letters home, and shall make up a -pretty large mail, filled with tender recollections, and overflowing -with the California news. How the intelligence of our proceedings here -will strike our friends and the country at large, is mere matter of -conjecture. We are acting, however, not only in view of the alleged -collision between the American and Mexican forces on the Rio Grande, but -in reference to the anarchy and confusion into which this country has -been thrown by a revolution which did not originate with us. - - -THURSDAY, JULY 30. To-day I entered on the duties of my office as -alcalde of Monterey: my jurisdiction extends over an immense extent of -territory, and over a most heterogeneous population. Almost every nation -has, in some emigrant, a representative here—a representative of its -peculiar habits, virtues, and vices. Here is the reckless Californian, -the half-wild Indian, the roving trapper of the West, the lawless -Mexican, the licentious Spaniard, the scolding Englishman, the -absconding Frenchman, the luckless Irishman, the plodding German, the -adventurous Russian, and the discontented Mormon. All have come here -with the expectation of finding but little work and less law. Through -this discordant mass I am to maintain order, punish crime, and redress -injuries. - - -FRIDAY, JULY 31. Nearly all the houses in Monterey are of one story, -with a corridor. The walls are built of adobes, or sun-baked brick, with -tiled roofs. The centre is occupied by a large hall, to which the -dining-room and sleeping apartments seem mere appurtenances. Every thing -is in subordination to the hall, and this is designed and used for -dancing. It has a wood floor, and springs nightly to the step of those -who are often greeted in the whirl of their amusements, by the risen -sun. The dance and a dashing horse are the two objects which overpower -all others in interest with the Californians. The fiddle has been silent -since our flag went up, from the fact that many of the gentlemen have -left to join Gen. Castro. But if they return, though covered with -disaster, the fiddle will be called upon to resume its fantastic -functions. You might as well attempt to extinguish a love of air in a -life-preserver as the dancing propensity in this people. - - -SATURDAY, AUG. 1. The Congress has sailed to-day, with all her marines -and full complement of men, for San Pedro. Com. Stockton intends to land -there with a force of some three hundred, march to the Pueblo de los -Angeles, capture that important place, and fall upon Gen. Castro, who, -it is now understood, has posted himself, with some eight hundred -soldiers, in a pass a few miles below. The general will find his -southern retreat cut off by Col. Fremont’s riflemen and the sailors of -the Cyane, his western route obstructed by the Colorado, while the -forces of the Congress will bear down upon him from the north. He has -seemingly no escape, and must fight or capitulate. But his sagacity, his -thorough knowledge of the country, and his fleet horses, may extricate -him. We shall know in a few days; the interest felt here in the result -is most intense. Many mothers have sons and many wives husbands involved -in the issue. - - -SUNDAY, AUG. 2. I officiated to-day on board the Savannah. It is much to -the credit of the officers of this ship that though without a chaplain, -they have had, during a three years’ cruise, their religious services -regularly on the Sabbath. Four of their number, two lieutenants, the -surgeon, and master, are professors of religion, and exert a deep -influence through their consistent piety. Their Sabbath exercise has -consisted in reading prayers, selections from the Scriptures, and a -brief, pertinent sermon. They have had, also, their Sabbath-school. Such -facts as these will win for the navy a larger share of public confidence -than the capture of forty barbaric fortresses. The American people love -valor, but they love religion also. They will confer their highest -honors only on him who combines them both. - - -MONDAY, AUG. 3. An Indian woman of good appearance came to our office -to-day, stating that she had been for two years past a domestic in a -Mexican family near Monterey; that she had, during this time, lost her -husband, and now wished to marry again; but wished, before she did this, -to recover her child, which was forcibly detained in the family in which -she had served. It appeared that the father of this family had baptized -her child, and claimed, according to custom here, a sort of guardianship -over it, as well as a right to a portion of its services. - -I asked her if her child would be kindly treated where it now was: she -said she thought so; but added, she was a mother, and wanted it with -her. We told her as she was going to marry again, she had better perhaps -leave the child for the present; and if she found her husband to be a -good, industrious man, and disposed to furnish her with a comfortable -home, she might call again at our office, and we would get her child. -She went away with that mild look of contentment which is as near a -smile as any expression which lights an Indian’s face. - - -TUESDAY, AUG. 4. The military chieftains, who have successively usurped -the government of California, have arbitrarily imposed such duties on -foreign imports as their avarice or exigency suggested. A few examples -will be sufficient to show the spirit and character of these imposts. -Unbleached cottons, which cost in the United States six cents the yard, -cost here fifty, and shirtings cost seventy-five. Plain knives and forks -cost ten dollars the dozen; coarse cowhide shoes three dollars the pair; -the cheapest tea three dollars the pound; and a pair of common -truck-wheels seventy-five dollars. The duty alone on the coarsest hat, -even if made of straw, is three dollars. - -The revenues derived from these enormous imposts have passed into the -pockets of a few individuals, who have placed themselves, by violence or -fraud, at the head of the government, and have never reached the public -in any beneficial form. These exactions, enforced by an irresponsible -tyranny, have kept California poor, have crushed all enterprise, and -have rolled back the tide of emigration from her soil as the resisting -rock the rushing stream. But the barriers are now broken, and broken -forever. California is free,—free of Mexican rule and all domestic -usurpers. - - -WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5. We have in one apartment of our prison two -Californians, confined for having robbed a United States courier, on his -way from Monterey to San Francisco, with public dispatches. They have -not yet been tried. Yesterday they applied to me for permission to have -their guitars. They stated that their situation was very lonely, and -they wanted something to cheer it. Their request was complied with; and -last evening, when the streets were still, and the soft moonlight melted -through the grates of their prison, their music streamed out upon the -quiet air with wonderful sweetness and power. Their voices were in rich -harmony with their instruments, and their melodies had a wild and -melancholy tone. They were singing, for aught they knew, their own -requiem. - - -THURSDAY, AUG. 6. It sounds strange to an American, and much more so to -an Englishman, to hear Californians talk of farms. They never speak of -acres, or even miles; they deal only in leagues. A farm of four or five -leagues is considered quite small. It is not so large, in the conception -of this people, as was the one-acre farm of Horace in the estimation of -the Romans. Capt. Sutter’s farm, in the valley of the Sacramento, is -sixty miles long. The Californians speak in the same way of the stock on -their farms. Two thousand horses, fifteen thousand head of cattle, and -twenty thousand sheep, are only what a thrifty farmer should have before -he thinks of killing or selling. They are to be his productive stock, on -which he should not encroach, except in an emergency. Only fancy a farm -covering sixty miles in length! Why, a man would want a railroad through -it for his own private use. Get out of the way, ye landlords of England -and patroons of Amsterdam, with your boroughs and dykes, and give place -to the Californian with his sixty mile sweep! - - -FRIDAY, AUG. 7. The Mormon ship Brooklyn, which we left at Honolulu, has -arrived at San Francisco, and her passengers have debarked on the shores -of that magnificent bay. They have not yet selected their lands. The -natives hold them in great horror. They seem to think cannibalism among -the least of their enormities. They consider the term Mormon the most -branding epithet that can be applied to a man. A mother complained to -me, a few days since, that a gentleman in Monterey had struck her son -and called him a Mormon. She dwelt with great earnestness on the -opprobrious character of the epithet, and appeared to consider its -application to her son a higher crime than that of his fist. I told her -what sort of people these Mormons were; but it was to her as if I had -represented Satan as an angel of light. I lectured the wrong-doer. - - -SATURDAY, AUG. 8. Capt. Fauntleroy, of the Savannah, and Maj. Snyder, -with fifty mounted men under their command, occupy San Juan, which lies -inland about thirty miles from Monterey. A report reached them a few -days since, that a hundred wild Indians had descended upon the town of -San José and driven off over two hundred horses. They started -immediately with twenty men, well mounted, got upon their trail, and -came up with them at a distance of sixty miles. The Indians finding -themselves hotly pressed, left their horses and took to the bush, -throwing back upon their pursuers the most wild and frantic -imprecations. Three or four of their number only were killed. The -denseness of the forest and the approach of night rendered further -pursuit impracticable. - -The horses were all recaptured and brought back to their owners, who -received them with acclamations of surprise and gratitude. This was the -first time, they said, that their property had been rescued from savages -by the government, and they run up the American flag. This prompt -interference of Capt. Fauntleroy and Maj. Snyder will do more to win the -confidence of the Californians than forty orations delivered in the most -liquid Spanish that ever rolled from a Castilian tongue. There is -something in action which the most simple can appreciate, and which the -most crafty cannot gainsay. - -[Illustration] - - -SUNDAY, AUG. 9. I officiated to-day on board the Savannah. The weather -was pleasant, and several gentlemen from the shore attended. There was -no service in the Roman Catholic Church, owing to the absence of one of -the priests and the infirmities of the other. But when there is service, -only a few of the people attend. It is sometimes, however, forced upon -them in the shape of penance. When a friend of mine here was married, it -was necessary that he should confess. The penance imposed on him for his -previous negligences and transgressions was, that he should attend -church seven Sabbaths. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - FECUNDITY OF THE CALIFORNIANS.—FIRST INTELLIGENCE OF THE WAR.—WILD - INDIANS ON BOARD SHIP.—THE CHIEF.—FIRST NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN - CALIFORNIA.—RAISING THE MATERIALS.—THE RIVAL SUITORS.—FLIGHT OF GEN. - CASTRO.—A CALIFORNIAN ON HORSEBACK. - -MONDAY, AUG. 10. The fecundity of the Californians is remarkable, and -must be attributed in no small degree to the effects of the climate. It -is no uncommon sight to find from fourteen to eighteen children at the -same table, with their mother at their head. There is a lady of some -note in Monterey, who is the mother of twenty-two living children. The -youngest is at the breast, and must soon, it is said, relinquish his -place to a new-comer, who will, in all probability, be allowed only the -same brevity of bliss. - -There is a lady in the department below who has twenty-eight children, -all living, in fine health, and who may share the “envied kiss” with -others yet to come. What a family—what a wife—what a mother! I have more -respect for the shadow of that woman than for the living presence of the -mincing being who raises a whole village if she has one child, and then -puts it to death with sugar-plums. A woman with one child is like a hen -with one chicken; there is an eternal scratch about nothing. - - -TUESDAY, AUG. 11. A deserter from Gen. Castro’s camp presented himself -at my office to-day and gave himself up to the American authorities. He -represents the general as in rather a forlorn condition. His troops, it -appears, are daily deserting him. His present force is estimated at less -than six hundred. He is anxious to fly into Mexico, but is unable to -raise a sufficient number of volunteers. The expectation here is, that -he will surrender to Com. Stockton. - -The British brig-of-war Spy anchored in the harbor of Monterey this -evening. She is from San Blas, with dispatches for Admiral Seymour. Her -officers are perfectly silent as to news from the United States and -Mexico. She leaves in a few hours for the Collingwood at the Sandwich -Islands. She has, undoubtedly, news of moment, but will not reveal it. - - -WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12. The U. S. ship Warren, under Commander Hull, arrived -this afternoon in thirty days from Mazatlan, bringing the eventful -intelligence that war had been declared between the United States and -Mexico. The mysterious silence of the officers of the Spy is now -explained. But their secrecy has availed them for only twenty-four -hours. - -The war news produced a profound sensation here. The whole population -were instantly thrown into groups in the corridors and at the corners of -the streets. The hum of voices continued late into the night. It was an -extinguisher on the hopes of those who had looked to Mexico for aid, or -who had clung to the expectation that the American government would -repudiate our possession of California, and order the squadron -withdrawn. They now relinquish all idea of a return to their old -political connection, and appear resigned to their fate, which seems -inevitable. These disappointed families compose but a part of the -population; another portion has become thoroughly wearied with -revolutions, and are prepared to countenance almost any government that -promises stability. - - -THURSDAY, AUG. 13. The Warren sailed this morning for San Pedro, to -convey the war intelligence to Com. Stockton. It will throw a new aspect -upon his operations in California. Expediency gives place to moral -necessity. We have now a double motive for exertion—national honor, -which looks at home, and an enlarged philanthropy, which looks here. It -is of but little moment what the ultimate action of our government may -be in reference to California. It cannot change her destiny. She is -severed forever from Mexico. Should our government attempt to throw her -back on that country, she will not stay thrown back. The rebound will -carry her further off than ever. She is on a wave which will not ebb -till this generation have mouldered in their graves. - - -FRIDAY, AUG. 14. Sixty of a tribe of wild Indians, who live in the -mountains, about two hundred miles distant, made a descent a few days -since upon a farm within thirty miles of Monterey, and carried off a -hundred horses. Twenty of the tribe, with the chief, remained behind to -secure further booty. Intelligence of this having reached Capt. Mervin, -he dispatched a mounted force, apprehended them in their ambush, and -brought them to Monterey, and delivered them over to our court for -trial. - -They were as wild a looking set of fellows as ever entered a civil -tribunal. The chief was over seven feet high, with an enormous blanket -wrapped round him and thrown over the shoulder like a Spanish cloak, -which set forth his towering form to the best advantage. His long black -hair streamed in darkness down to his waist. His features strikingly -resembled those of Gen. Jackson. His forehead was high, his eye full of -fire, and his mouth betrayed great decision. His step was firm; his age -must have been about fifty. He entered the court with a civil but -undaunted air. When asked why he permitted the men of his tribe to steal -horses, he replied that the men who took the horses were not properly -members of his tribe, that they had recently attached themselves to him, -and now, that he had found them horse-thieves, he should cut them. I -could get at no satisfactory evidence that he, or the twenty with him, -had actively assisted those who took off the horses. I delivered them -over to Capt. Mervin, who commanded the military occupation of the town. - -The United States troops were formed into a hollow square, and they were -marched into the centre where they expected to be shot, and still not a -muscle shook, and the features of each were as set as if chiselled from -marble. What must have been their unbetrayed surprise, when Capt. Mervin -told them they were acquitted by the tribunal! He then told the chief he -should recognize him as king of the tribe—that he must not permit any of -his men to commit the slightest depredations on the citizens, that he -should hold him responsible for the conduct of his tribe, and that he -must come and report himself and the condition of his tribe every two -moons. To all this the chief fully assented. - -They were then taken on board the frigate, where the crew had been -mustered for the occasion. Here they were told how many ships, men, and -guns we had at our command; so much to inspire them with awe: and now -for their good will. The whole party were rigged out with fresh -blankets, and red handkerchiefs for each, which they use as a turban. -The chief was attired in a uniform of one of our tallest and stoutest -officers: navy buttons, epaulets, sword, cap with a gold band, boots, -and spurs; and a silver chain was put about his neck, to which a medal -was attached, recognizing him as the high chief of the tribe. He looked -every inch a chief. The band struck up Hail Columbia, and they departed, -vowing eternal allegiance to the Americans. The sailors were delighted -with these savages, and half envied them their wild life. - - -SATURDAY, AUG. 15. To-day the first newspaper ever published in -California made its appearance. The honor, if such it be, of writing its -Prospectus, fell to me. It is to be issued on every Saturday, and is -published by Semple and Colton. Little did I think when relinquishing -the editorship of the North American in Philadelphia, that my next feat -in this line would be off here in California. My partner is an emigrant -from Kentucky, who stands six feet eight in his stockings. He is in a -buckskin dress, a fox-skin cap; is true with his rifle, ready with his -pen, and quick at the type-case. - -He created the materials of our office out of the chaos of a small -concern, which had been used by a Roman Catholic monk in printing a few -sectarian tracts. The press was old enough to be preserved as a -curiosity; the mice had burrowed in the balls; there were no rules, no -leads, and the types were rusty and all in pi. It was only by scouring -that the letters could be made to show their faces. A sheet or two of -tin were procured, and these, with a jack-knife, were cut into rules and -leads. Luckily we found, with the press, the greater part of a keg of -ink; and now came the main scratch for paper. None could be found, -except what is used to envelop the tobacco of the cigar smoked here by -the natives. A coaster had a small supply of this on board, which we -procured. It is in sheets a little larger than the common-sized -foolscap. And this is the size of our first paper, which we have -christened the Californian. - -Though small in dimensions, our first number is as full of news as a -black-walnut is of meat. We have received by couriers, during the week, -intelligence from all the important military posts through the -territory. Very little of this has transpired; it reaches the public for -the first time through our sheet. We have, also, the declaration of war -between the United States and Mexico, with an abstract of the debate in -the senate. A crowd was waiting when the first sheet was thrown from the -press. It produced quite a little sensation. Never was a bank run upon -harder; not, however, by people with paper to get specie, but exactly -the reverse. One-half of the paper is in English, the other in Spanish. -The subscription for a year is five dollars; the price of a single sheet -is twelve and a half cents; and is considered cheap at that. - - -SUNDAY, AUG. 16. A brilliant day, and no sounds to disturb its -tranquillity save the moan of the pine-grove as the wind sighs through -it, and the thunder of the breaking waves on the beach. We had divine -service on board the Savannah,—a much more grateful occupation to me -than the investigation of crimes in the Alcaldean court. - -Till the Americans took possession of Monterey, the Sabbath was devoted -to amusement. The Indians gave themselves up to liquor, the Mexicans and -Californians to dancing. Whether the bottle or the fiddle had the most -votaries it would be difficult to say. But both had so many, that very -few were left for the church. Some, however, attended mass before they -dressed for the ball-room. But their worship and their waltz came so -close together, that a serious thought had only time to dodge out of the -way. - - -MONDAY, AUG. 17. A complaint was lodged in my court this morning, -involving the perplexities of a love-matter. The complainant is a -Californian mother, who has a daughter rather remarkable for her -personal attractions. She has two rival suitors, both anxious to marry -her, and each, of course, extremely jealous of the attentions of the -other, and anxious to outdo him in the fervency and force of his own -assiduities. The family are consequently annoyed, and desire the court -to interfere in some way for their repose. I issued an order that -neither of the rival suitors should enter the house of the complainant, -unless invited by her, till the girl had made up her mind which she -would marry; for it appeared she was very much perplexed, being equally -pleased with both: and now, I suppose, roses and all the other silent -tokens of affection will pass plenty as protestations before. - - “The course of true love never did run smooth.” - - -TUESDAY, AUG. 18. The ado made to reach the hand of the undecided girl -shows how very rare such specimens of beauty are in these parts. She has -nothing to recommend her as a sober, industrious, frugal housekeeper. -She knows how to dance, to play on the guitar and sing, and that is all. -She would be as much lost in the kitchen as a dolphin on dry land. She -would do to dress flowers in the balcony of a millionaire, but as the -wife of a Californian, her children would go without a stocking, and her -husband without a shirt. Her two suitors own, probably, the apparel -which they have on and the gay horses which they ride, but neither of -them has a real in his pocket. Yet they are quite ready to be married: -just as if the honey-moon had a horn of plenty instead of a little urn -of soft light, which gushes for a few brief nights, and then leaves its -devotee like one of the foolish virgins, whose lamp had gone out! - - -WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19. Several of Gen. Castro’s officers have just arrived -in town, delivered themselves up, and been put upon parole. They state -that the general’s camp, near the Pueblo de los Angeles, broke up a few -days since in the night; that the general and Gov. Pico had started for -Sonora with fifty men and two hundred horses; that their flight was -hastened by the approach of Com. Stockton, with the forces of the -Congress, on the north, and Maj. Fremont, with his riflemen, on the -south. The commodore had reached, it appears, within a few hours’ march -of his camp. The general had taken the precaution to send forward in -advance a portion of his horses, to serve as fresh relays on his -arrival. He expects to leave Col. Fremont on the right, and will be -obliged to cross an immense sandy plain, lying between the Pueblo and -Red River, where his horses will be for two days without water or food. -He is to cross Red River, a broad and rapid stream, on a raft, the -construction of which will detain him a day; his horses will swim, for -California horses are trained to rush over mountain-torrents. The only -hope of his capture lies in his detention at the river, unless Col. -Fremont, anticipating his flight, has thrown a force south to intercept -him. Once across the river he is safe; nothing but a tornado, or a -far-striking thunder-bolt, can overtake a Californian on horseback. - - -THURSDAY, AUG. 20. An Indian was brought before me to-day, charged with -having stolen a horse. He was on his way, it appears, to Monterey, and -when within thirty miles, his own horse having given out, he turned him -adrift, and lassoed one belonging to another man, which he rode in, and -then set him at liberty as he had his own. The owner arrived soon after, -recovered his horse, and had the Indian arrested, who confessed the -whole affair, and only plead in excuse that his own horse had become too -tired to go further. I sentenced the Indian to three months’ labor on -the public works. He seemed at first very much surprised at what he -considered the severity of the sentence; but said he should work his -time out faithfully, and give me no further trouble. As he was half -naked, I ordered him comfortable apparel, and then delivered him over to -Capt. Mervin, to be employed in excavating a trench around the -newly-erected fort. - - -FRIDAY, AUG. 21. A Californian is most at home in his saddle; there he -has some claims to originality, if not in character then in costume. His -hat, with its conical crown and broad rim, throws back the sun’s rays -from its dark, glazed surface. It is fastened on by a band which passes -under his chin, and rests on a red handkerchief, which turbans his head, -from beneath which his black locks flow out upon the wind. - -The collar of his linen rolls over that of his blue spencer, which is -open under the chin, is fitted closely to his waist, and often -ornamented with double rows of buttons and silk braid. His trowsers, -which are fastened around his loins by a red sash, are open to the knee, -to which his buckskin leggins ascend over his white cotton drawers. His -buckskin shoes are armed with heavy spurs, which have a shaft some ten -inches long, at the end of which is a roller, which bristles out into -six points, three inches long, against which steel plates rattle with a -quick, sharp sound. - -His feet rest in stirrups of wood, carved from the solid oak, and which -are extremely strong and heavy. His saddle rises high fore and aft, and -is broadly skirted with leather, which is stamped into figures, through -the interstices of which red and green silk flash out with gay effect. -The reins of his bridle are thick and narrow, and the head-stall is -profusely ornamented with silver plate. His horse, with his long flowing -mane, arching neck, broad chest, full flanks, and slender legs, is full -of fire. He seldom trots, and will gallop all day without seeming to be -weary. On his back is the Californian’s home. Leave him this home, and -you may have the rest of the world. - - -SATURDAY, AUG. 22. Our little paper, the Californian, made its -appearance again to-day. Many subscribers have sent in their names since -our last, and all have paid in advance. It is not larger than a sheet of -foolscap; but this foolscap parallel stops, I hope, with the shape. Be -this as it may, its appearance is looked for with as much interest as -was the arrival of the mail by the New Yorkers and Bostonians in those -days when a moon waxed and waned over its transit. - - -SUNDAY, AUG. 23. Officiated to-day on board the Savannah. There is no -Protestant church here. Emigrants have generally become Roman Catholics. -Policy, rather than persuasion or conviction, suggested it. Men who make -no pretensions to religion, have nothing to give up in the shape of -creeds or conscientious scruples. They are like driftwood, which runs -into the eddy which is the strongest; or like migratory birds, which -light where they can find the best picking and the softest repose. The -woodpecker never taps an undecayed tree; and a worldling seldom embraces -a thoroughly sound faith. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - A THIEF OBEYING ORDERS.—GAME.—NO PENITENTIARY SYSTEM.—THE CALIFORNIA - CART ON A GALA DAY.—THE RUNAWAY DAUGHTER.—FAITH OF THE - INDIANS.—RETURN FROM THE WAR.—FIRST TRIAL BY JURY.—INDIAN AND HIS - SQUAW ON THE HUNT.—WHALES IN THE BAY.—THE TWO GAMBLERS.—LADIES ON - HORSEBACK.—MERRIMENT IN DEATH.—THE ENGLISHMAN AND HIS MISTRESS. - -MONDAY, AUG. 24. One of our officers, bound with dispatches to San Juan, -fell in with an Indian to-day, on a horse, without saddle or bridle, -save a lasso; and knowing from this circumstance that he had stolen the -animal, ordered him to come to Monterey and deliver himself up to the -alcalde, and then passed on. So on the Indian came with the horse, and -presented himself at our office. - -I asked him what he wanted; he told me the order he had received; but I -could not at first comprehend its import, and inquired of him if he knew -why the order had been given him. He replied, that it was in consequence -of his having taken the horse of another man. I asked him if he had -stolen the animal; he said yes, he had taken him, but had brought him in -here and given himself up as ordered; that he could not escape, as the -Americans were all over California. I told him stealing a horse was a -crime, and sentenced him to three months’ labor on the public works. He -was half naked. I ordered him comfortable clothes, and gave him a plug -of tobacco, and in an hour he was at his task, chewing and cheerful. He -is not wanting in intelligence; and if he only had as much respect for -the rights of property as he has for military orders, he might be a -useful member of the community. - -Oats in California grow wild. The last crop plants the next, without the -aid of man. The yield is sufficient to repay the labors of the -husbandman, but is gratuitously thrown at his feet. But the fecundity of -nature here is not confined to the vegetable kingdom, it is -characteristic of the animals that sport in wild life over these hills -and valleys. A sheep has two lambs a year; and if twins, four: and one -litter of pigs follows another so fast that the squealers and grunters -are often confounded. - - -WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26. The Californians breakfast at eight, dine at twelve, -take tea at four, supper at eight, and then go to bed—unless there is a -fandango. The supper is the most substantial meal of the three, and -would visit anybody but a Californian with the nightmare. But their -constant exercise in the open air and on horseback gives them the -digestion of the ostrich. - -The only meat consumed here to any extent is beef. It is beef for -breakfast, beef for dinner, and beef for supper. A pig is quite a -rarity; and as for chickens, they are reserved for the sick. The woods -are full of partridges and hare; the streams and lagoons are covered -with ducks and wild geese; and the harbor abounds with the most -delicious fish. But no Californian will angle or hunt, while he has a -horse or saddle left. And as for the Indians, but very few of them have -any hunting gear beyond the bow and arrow; with these they can kill the -deer and elk, but a partridge and hare are too shy and too quick. They -spear a large salmon which frequents Carmel river, three miles distant, -and bring it in to market. This fish is often three feet long, extremely -fat, and of a flavor that takes from Lent half the merit of its -abstinence. Spearing them is high sport for the Indian, and is another -feature in California life. - - -THURSDAY, AUG. 27. Nothing puzzles me so much as the absence of a -penitentiary system. There are no work-houses here; no buildings adapted -to the purpose; no tools, and no trades. The custom has been to fine -Spaniards, and whip Indians. The discrimination is unjust, and the -punishments ill suited to the ends proposed. I have substituted labor; -and have now eight Indians, three Californians, and one Englishman at -work making adobes. They have all been sentenced for stealing horses or -bullocks. I have given them their task: each is to make fifty adobes a -day, and for all over this they are paid. They make seventy-five, and -for the additional twenty-five each gets as many cents. This is paid to -them every Saturday night, and they are allowed to get with it any thing -but rum. They are comfortably lodged and fed by the government. I have -appointed one of their number captain. They work in the field; require -no other guard; not one of them has attempted to run away. - - -FRIDAY, AUG. 28. The ox-cart of the Californian is quite unique and -primitive. The wheels are cut transversely from the butt-end of a tree, -and have holes through the centre for a huge wood axle. The tongue is a -long, heavy beam, and the yoke resting on the necks of the oxen, is -lashed to their horns, close down to the root; from these they draw, -instead of the chest, as with us; and they draw enormous loads, but the -animals are large and powerful. - -But to return to the cart. On gala days it is swept out, and covered -with mats; a deep body is put on, which is arched with hoop-poles, and -over these a pair of sheets are extended for a covering. Into this the -ladies are tumbled, when three or four yoke of oxen, with as many Indian -drivers, and ten times as many dogs, start ahead. The hallooing of the -drivers, the barking of the dogs, and the loud laughter of the girls -make a common chorus. The quail takes to the covert as the roaring -establishment comes on, and even the owl suspends his melancholy note. -What has his sad tone to do amid such noise and mirth? It is like the -piping cry of an infant amid the revelry and tumult of the carnival. - - -SATURDAY, AUG. 29. Four Californians—a girl, her father, mother, and -lover, all well clad and good-looking—presented themselves before me -to-day. The old man said he had come to reclaim his daughter, who had -run away with the young Mexican,—that he had no objection to his -marrying her, but this running away with her didn’t look decent. The -rash lover stated in his defence that he was ready to marry her, had run -away with her for that purpose, had placed her immediately with his -sister, and that she was still as chaste and pure as the driven snow. To -all this the father and mother assented. - -I now expected we should have a wedding at once, and that I might be -called upon to officiate. But to my utter surprise, on asking the girl -if she insisted on marrying her lover, she declined. She said her escape -with him was a wild freak; she had now got over it, and wished to return -with her father. This fell like a death-knell on the ears of her lover, -who again protested his affection and her purity. Having been once -myself a disappointed suitor, I had a fellow feeling for him, and -advised the girl to marry him; but she said no, that she had changed her -mind: so I delivered her to her father, and told my brother in -misfortune he must wait; that a woman who had changed her mind once on -such a subject, would change it again. - - -SUNDAY, AUG. 30. Several gentlemen and ladies of Monterey were present -to-day at our service on board the Savannah. I have it in contemplation -to establish a service on shore. There are plenty of halls, which are -now used for dancing, and I should have as little scruple in converting -one of them into a church, as Father Whitfield had in appropriating to -his use the popular airs of the day, when he said he had no notion of -letting the devil run away with all the fine tunes. Blessings on the -memory of that devoted missionary! He has embalmed in his church -melodies that will live when the profane lyres from which they flowed -have long since been silent. - -The wild Indians here have a vague belief in the soul’s immortality. -They say, “as the moon dieth and cometh to life again, so man, though he -die, will again live.” But their future state is material; the wicked -are to be bitten by serpents, scorched by lightning, and plunged down -cataracts; while the good are to hunt their game with bows that never -lose their vigor, with arrows that never miss their aim, and in forests -where the crystal streams roll over golden sands. Immortal youth is to -be the portion of each; and age, and pain, and death, are to be known no -more. - - -MONDAY, AUG. 31. I am at last forced into a systematic arrangement of my -time; without it, I could never get through with my duties. I rise with -the sun, read till eight o’clock, and then breakfast, at nine, enter on -my duties as alcalde, which confine me till three, P. M., then dine; and -at four take my gun and plunge into the woods for exercise and -partridges; return at sunset, take tea, and in the evening write up my -journal, and an editorial for the Californian. - -When the Sabbath comes, I preach; my sermons are composed in the woods, -in the court-room, or in bed, just where I can snatch a half hour. I -often plan them while some plaintiff is spinning a long yarn about -things and matters in general, or some defendant is losing himself in a -labyrinth of apologetic circumstances. By this forbearance both are -greatly relieved; one disburdens himself of his grievances, the other -lightens his guilt, and, in the mean time, my sermon develops itself -into a more tangible arrangement. My text might often be—“And he fell -among thieves.” - - -TUESDAY, SEPT. 1. It is singular how the Californians reckon distances. -They will speak of a place as only a short gallop off, when it is fifty -or a hundred miles distant. They think nothing of riding a hundred and -forty miles in a day, and breaking down three or four horses in doing -it, and following this up by the week. They subsist almost exclusively -on meat, and when travelling, sleep under the open sky. They drive their -ox-carts, loaded with lumber or provisions, two hundred miles to market. -Their conceptions seem to annihilate space. - - -WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 2. The officers of Gen. Castro have been permitted to -return to their homes, after having taken an oath that they will not, on -pain of death, be found in arms against the United States during the -existence of the present war. A few, perhaps from national pride, -refused at first the oath, but were compelled to take it, or be treated -as prisoners of war. They of course preferred the former. The ladies -don’t seem to care much about these nice points in military etiquette: -they want their husbands at home; and their return, though on parole, is -the signal for getting up a ball. A Californian would hardly pause in a -dance for an earthquake, and would be pretty sure to renew it, even -before its vibrations had ceased. At a wedding they dance for three days -and nights, during which time the new-married couple are kept on their -feet. No compassion is shown them, as they have so much bliss in -reserve. - - -THURSDAY, SEPT. 3. Dispatches were received this morning, by courier, -from Com. Stockton, dated at the Pueblo de los Angeles. They contain his -second address to the people of California, which defines the new -attitude in which the country is placed by the declaration of war -between the United States and Mexico. The address is humane in its tone, -expansive and vigorous in its spirit. It has had the salutary effect to -set the community at rest, by establishing in the minds of the wavering -the full conviction that California is henceforth a part of the United -States. Ex-Gov. Pio Pico, it seems, did not escape with Gen. Castro, but -has surrendered to the commodore. He is one of the few who commanded the -confidence and respect of the public. - - -FRIDAY, SEPT. 4. I empannelled to-day the first jury ever summoned in -California. The plaintiff and defendant are among the principal citizens -of the country. The case was one involving property on the one side, and -integrity of character on the other. Its merits had been pretty widely -discussed, and had called forth an unusual interest. One-third of the -jury were Mexicans, one-third Californians, and the other third -Americans. This mixture may have the better answered the ends of -justice, but I was apprehensive at one time it would embarrass the -proceedings; for the plaintiff spoke in English, the defendant in -French, the jury, save the Americans, Spanish, and the witnesses all the -languages known to California. But through the silent attention which -prevailed, the tact of Mr. Hartnell, who acted as interpreter, and the -absence of young lawyers, we got along very well. - -The examination of the witnesses lasted five or six hours; I then gave -the case to the jury, stating the questions of fact upon which they were -to render their verdict. They retired for an hour, and then returned, -when the foreman handed in their verdict, which was clear and explicit, -though the case itself was rather complicated. To this verdict, both -parties bowed without a word of dissent. The inhabitants who witnessed -the trial, said it was what they liked—that there could be no bribery in -it—that the opinion of twelve honest men should set the case forever at -rest. And so it did, though neither party completely triumphed in the -issue. One recovered his property, which had been taken from him by -mistake, the other his character, which had been slandered by design. If -there is any thing on earth besides religion for which I would die, it -is the right of trial by jury. - - -SATURDAY, SEPT. 5. I encountered on my hunting excursion to-day a wild -Indian, with a squaw and papoose. They were on horses, he carrying his -bow, with a large quiver of arrows hung at his side, and she with the -child in the bunt of her blanket, at the back. They were dashing ahead -in the wake of their dogs, which were in hot chase of a deer. The squaw -stuck to her fleet animal as firmly as the saddle in which she sat, and -took but little heed of the bogs and gullies over which she bounded. His -glance was directed to a ridge of rocks, over which he seemed to expect -the deer to fly from the field of wild oats through which the chase lay. -I watched them till they disappeared in their whirlwind speed over the -ridge. Whether the deer fell into their hands or escaped, I know not; -but certainly I would not hazard my neck as they did theirs for all the -game even in the California forests. But this, to them, is life; they -seek no repose between the cradle and the grave. - - -SUNDAY, SEPT. 6. The bell of the Roman Catholic church, which has been -silent some weeks, rung out loud and clear this morning. I directed the -prisoners, sentenced to the public works, to be taken to the service. I -had given them soap, and sufficient time to clean their clothes, on -Saturday; though having but one suit, they had only their blankets for -covering while these were washing and drying. With a marine at their -head, armed and equipped, they made quite a respectable appearance. -Their conduct, during service, was reported to me as very becoming. They -may yet reform, and shape their lives after the precepts of morality and -religion. My own service was on board the Savannah, where we had the -officers of the Erie. - - -MONDAY, SEPT. 7. We have been looking for a whale-ship, or spouter, as -she is called by our sailors, to come in here, and take care of the -whales which are blowing around us. One belonging to the genuine old -Nantucket line, came to anchor last evening. She had been on the -northwest coast in pursuit of the black whale; but found them so wild, -owing to the havoc that has been made among them, that she captured but -very few. - -This morning her boats were lowered, and their crews put off in pursuit -of one of these monsters. The fellow plunged as they approached, and was -out of sight for some minutes, when he hove up at a distance. “There she -blows!” was the cry, and off they darted again; but by the time they had -gained the spot another plunge was heard, and only a deep foaming eddy -remained. The next time she lifted they were more successful, and lodged -one of their harpoons. The reel was soon out, and away the boat flew, -like a little car attached to a locomotive. But the harpoon at last -slipped its hold, and the whale escaped. The loss seemed proportionate -to the bulk of the monster. - - -TUESDAY, SEPT. 8. We have had for the last five days hardly an hour of -sunshine, owing to the dense fogs which prevail here at this season. -These murky vapors fill the whole atmosphere; you seem to walk in them -alone, like one threading a mighty forest. A transcendentalist might -easily conceive himself a ghost, wandering among the cypresses of a dead -world. But, being no ghost or transcendentalist, I had a fire kindled, -and found refuge from the fog in its cheerful light and warmth. - - -WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9. A Californian came into my court in great haste last -evening, and complained that another Californian was running away with -his oxen. Suspecting the affair had some connection with a gambling -transaction, I immediately handed him a warrant for the arrest of the -fugitive, when off he started at the top of his speed to execute it. In -less than an hour he returned with his prisoner. - -I then asked the plaintiff if the oxen were his; he said they were. I -asked him of whom he obtained them; he said of the man who attempted to -run away with them. I asked him what he gave for them; this was a -puzzler, but after hemming and hawing for a minute, he said he had -played for them, and won them. I asked him what else he had won of the -man; he replied, the poncho, and a thin jacket, both of which he had on. -I then ordered them both into the calaboose for the night. The winner, -who had apprehended the other, and who, no doubt, expected to get the -oxen at once, looked quite confounded. - -This morning I had the two gamblers before me: neither of them looked as -if he had relished much his prison-couch. I made the winner return all -his ill-gotten gains, oxen, poncho, and jacket, and then fined them each -five dollars. The one who had served the warrant shrugged his shoulders, -as if he had made a great mistake. There was no escape from the -judgment, so they paid their fine and departed. The next time they -gamble, they will probably settle matters between themselves, without a -resort to the alcalde. - - -THURSDAY, SEPT. 10. My alcalde duties required me to-day to preside at -the executive sale of two dwelling-houses and a store. I was about as -_au fait_ at the business as Dr. Johnson at the auction of widow -Thrales’ brewery, when he informed the bidders, in his towering -language, that he offered them, not a few idle vats and worms, but the -“potentiality of becoming rich.” The property sold well, forty per cent. -higher than it would under the Mexican flag. All real estate has risen -since our occupation of the territory. This tells what the community -expects in terms which none can mistake. A Californian told me to-day -that he considered his lands worth forty thousand dollars more than they -were before our flag was hoisted. The old office-holders may, perhaps, -grumble at the change, but they whose interest lies in the soil silently -exult. They desire no ebb in the present tide of political affairs. - - -FRIDAY, SEPT. 11. An express came in to-day, bringing the intelligence -that a thousand Wallawalla Indians had reached the Sacramento from -Oregon. They have come, as the express states, to avenge the death of a -young chief, who was wantonly and wickedly killed about a year since, by -an American emigrant. They belong to a tribe remarkable for their -intelligence, hardihood, and valor. Their occupation is that of -trappers, and they are thoroughly used to fire-arms. Capt. Mervin has -sent a force from the Savannah, and Capt. Montgomery another from the -Portsmouth, to arrest their progress. Capt. Ford, with his company of -California rangers, who understand the bush-fight, will also be on the -spot. - - -SATURDAY, SEPT. 12. My partner in the “Californian” has been absent -several weeks. All the work of the office has devolved upon a sailor, -who has set the type for the whole paper, with fingers stiff as the -ropes around which they have coiled themselves into seeming fixtures. -Yet the “Californian” is out, and makes a good appearance. Who would -think, except in these uttermost ends of the earth, of issuing a weekly -journal, with only an old tar to set the type, and without a solitary -exchange paper! By good fortune, a hunter brought along a copy of the -“Oregon Spectator;” it was quite a windfall, though the only -intelligence it contained from the United States, was that brought its -editor by some overland emigrant. The “Spectator” speaks of the -institutions of the “City of Oregon” with as much reverence as if they -had the antiquity of the Egyptian Pyramids; when there is scarce a -crow’s nest which does not date further back. But age is no certain -evidence of merit, since folly runs to seed as fast as wisdom. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - FUNERAL CEREMONIES.—ELECTED ALCALDE.—FLIGHT OF GEN. CASTRO.—LOS - ANGELES TAKEN.—OVEN-BATH.—GROG IN A CHIMNEY.—THE FLEA.—FIRST - RAIN.—RISING OF THE CALIFORNIANS.—MEASURES OF COM. - STOCKTON.—MORMONS. - -SUNDAY, SEPT. 13. Officiated to-day on board the Savannah, and called on -my way to see a sick child, whose mother seems at a loss whether to -grieve or rejoice in prospect of its death. If it dies, she says it will -at once become a little angel: if it lives, it will be subject to sorrow -and sin. She desires, for her sake, that it may live; but, for its own, -that it may die. This balancing between life and death, is common here -among mothers. Their full persuasion of an infant’s future bliss, -forbids that they should mourn its loss. They therefore put on no weeds, -and utter no lamentations. The child, when its pure spirit has fled, is -dressed in white, and stainless roses are strewn upon its little shroud. -It is borne to the grave as if it were to be laid at the open portal of -heaven, and few are the tears which fall on that threshold of immortal -bliss. - - -MONDAY, SEPT. 14. A letter from the Sacramento, received to-day, informs -me of the arrival of two thousand emigrants from the United States. They -are under the guidance of experienced men, and have been but a little -over four months on the way. The Mormons are selecting the site of their -city, which they intend shall be the paradise of the west. - - -TUESDAY, SEPT. 15. The citizens of Monterey elected me to-day alcalde, -or chief magistrate of this jurisdiction—a situation which I have been -filling for two months past, under a military commission. It has now -been restored to its civil character and functions. Their election is -undoubtedly the highest compliment which they can confer; but this token -of confidence brings with it a great deal of labor and responsibility. -It devolves upon me duties similar to those of mayor of one of our -cities, without any of those judicial aids which he enjoys. It involves -every breach of the peace, every case of crime, every business -obligation, and every disputed land-title within a space of three -hundred miles. From every other alcalde’s court in this jurisdiction -there is an appeal to this, and none from this to any higher tribunal. -Such an absolute disposal of questions affecting property and personal -liberty, never ought to be confided to one man. There is not a judge on -any bench in England or the United States, whose power is so absolute as -that of the alcalde of Monterey. - - -WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16. The Congress, bearing the broad pennant of Com. -Stockton, returned last evening from her trip to the south. She has -captured, during her absence, Santa Barbara, San Pedro, and the Pueblo -de los Angeles. Over these the American flag is now flying. - -Gen. Castro had taken up his position just outside the Pueblo, on an -elevation which commands the town and adjacent country. He was well -supplied with field-pieces, and had a force of seven hundred men. Com. -Stockton landed at San Pedro with three hundred seamen and marines from -the Congress, and marched against him. His route, which extended some -thirty miles, lay through several narrow passes, which Gen. Castro might -easily have defended against a much superior force. But the general kept -in his entrenched camp; and informed the commodore by a courier, that if -he marched upon the town he would find it the grave of his men. “Then,” -said the commodore, “tell the general to have the bells ready to toll in -the morning at eight o’clock, as I shall be there at that time.” He was -there; but Castro, in the mean time, had broken up his camp, mounted -with an armed band, and fled towards Sonora, in Mexico. The town was -taken, the American flag hoisted and cheered. - - -THURSDAY, SEPT. 17. The U. S. ship Cyane, under Commander Du Pont, -proceeded from this port to San Diego, took that important place, and -landed Col. Fremont, with his riflemen, who hastened to cut off the -retreat of Castro. He would have done it could he have anticipated his -route; but to overtake him was impossible, as the general had taken the -precaution to send on in advance relays of fresh horses, sufficient to -take him and his band beyond the reach of any pursuit. - - -FRIDAY, SEPT. 18. A bearer of dispatches from Commodore Stockton to our -government is to leave to-morrow morning in the Erie, and we are all -busy in writing letters home by him. The Erie is to take the -dispatch-bearer to Panama, and then proceed to the Sandwich Islands. We -have not received any letters from home since we sailed from Callao; the -year has rolled from the buds of spring into the sear leaf of autumn -since any intelligence has reached us from those we love. Death may have -stricken them into the grave, but the sad tidings is yet a melancholy -secret. We ought to have a regular mail between the United States and -California. We seem remarkably eager to possess ourselves of foreign -territory, and then leave the wild geese to convey all intelligence. If -the land is only ours, and those at home can hear from it once in fifty -or a hundred years, that will do; a more frequent communication would be -quite superfluous. Had we possessed Egypt in the days of Cheops, all -information would still be considered seasonable which should come when -his pyramid had crumbled. - - -SATURDAY, SEPT. 19. I encountered to-day a company of Californians on -horseback, bound to a pic-nic, each with his lady love on the saddle -before him. He, as in duty bound, rides behind, throws his feet forward -into the stirrups, his left hand holds the reins, his right encircles -and sustains her, and there she rides safe as a robin in its nest; -sprigs of evergreen, with wild-flowers, wave in her little hat, and -larger clusters in his; both are gayly attired, and smiles of light and -love kindle in their dark expressive eyes. Away they gallop over hill -and valley, waking the wild echoes of the wood. One of my hunting dogs -glanced at them for a while, and seemed so tickled, he had to plunge -into the bushes to get rid of his mirth. - - -SUNDAY, SEPT. 20. At the invitation of Captain Richardson, I preached -this afternoon on board the Brooklyn. The crew assembled in the cabin, -which the captain had converted for the occasion into a chapel. None -attended by compulsion, but all were present of their free will. The -good order and respectful attention which prevailed showed the spirit -which pervaded the ship, and conveyed a testimony of the wise and -Christian conduct of the captain which none could mistake. I have never -met with a ship where a greater degree of harmony and alacrity in duty -were observable; all this, too, without any resort to physical force; -such is the result of moral influence when brought into full play. Give -us more of this in the navy. - - -MONDAY, SEPT. 21. A Californian mother came to me to-day to plead her -son out of prison. He had driven off a herd of cattle which had another -owner, and sold them, and I had sentenced him to the public works for a -year. She felt as a good mother must feel for her son, and plead for his -liberation with a pathos that half shook my resolution. Nothing but an -iron sense of duty kept me firm. There is something in a mother’s tears -which is almost irresistible; she wept and trembled, and would have -kneeled, but I would not let her. I lifted her to her feet, and told her -I once had a mother, and knew what her sorrows were. I told her I would -liberate her son if I could, but it was impossible; law and justice were -against it. But if he behaved well, I would take off a few months from -the close of the year; and in the mean time she might see him as often -as she desired. She thanked me, lingered as if she would plead again, -and departed. What depths there are in a mother’s soul! - - -TUESDAY, SEPT. 22. The frigate Savannah sailed this morning for San -Francisco. She left her berth, where she has lain since our flag was -raised here, and with her royals set, glided gracefully out of the bay. -The Congress gave her three cheers as she passed,—still she goes with a -heavy heart. The time of her crew is out; they are almost half the -circuit of the globe from their home, and have now, seemingly, as little -prospect of reaching it as they had a year since. Com. Stockton went on -board a few days since and addressed them, but even with his happy tact -in inspiring enthusiasm, it was difficult to arouse their despondency, -and make them cheerful in a resignation to their lot. The war being -against a power unarmed at sea, is with them a mere bubble. To chase or -capture a privateer is a game not worth the candle. Were an English or -French squadron in this ocean, in declared hostility, they would not -murmur while a tattered sail could be set, or a shot be found in the -locker. - - -WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23. I was waked this morning by sounds of merriment in -the street. Day had only begun to glimmer, and its beam was contending -with the glare of rockets, flashing over the lingering shadows of night. -The child which I had visited a few evenings since had died, and this -was its attendant ceremony to the grave. It had become, in the -apprehension of those who formed the procession, a little angel—and they -were expressing their joy over the transformation. The disruption of -ties which bound it here—its untimely blight—and the darkness of the -grave—were all forgotten. Its little coffin was draped in white, and -garlanded with flowers; and voices of gladness, ringing out from -childhood and youth, heralded its flight to a better world. - - -THURSDAY, SEPT. 24. An Englishman called at the court to-day, and -desired me to issue a warrant for the apprehension of his mistress, who -he said had run away and carried off a rich shawl and diamond breastpin -which did not belong to her. I told him, when he entered into a criminal -compact of that kind with a person, he might expect just such results as -he had experienced,—and as for a warrant, I should issue none, and would -not if she had carried off every thing in his house, and him too; for I -should consider the community quit of two persons who could in no way -benefit its morals. He looked not a little surprised at this decision, -shrugged his shoulders, and departed. The first thing a foreigner does -here is to provide himself with a horse; the second, with a mistress; -the third, with a pack of cards. These, with a bottle of aguardiente, -are his capital for this world and the next. This is true of many, but -not all; there are some high and honorable exceptions. - - -FRIDAY, SEPT. 25. The Congress left her moorings last evening, and held -her course majestically out of the bay for San Francisco. Com. Stockton -proposes, while there, to construct batteries which can command the -entrance to the harbor, and afford protection to our merchantmen in the -absence of our squadron. The new city will probably be located before -his return. It is the point towards which all eyes are now turned. The -tide of emigration is setting there with as much steadiness and strength -as the rivers which roll into its capacious bosom. The day is coming -when the spires of a great city will be mirrored in its waters. - - -SATURDAY, SEPT. 26. The Indians here are practical Thomsonians or -Hydropathists; they sweat for every kind of disease. Their bath is a -large ground-oven, to which you descend by a flight of narrow steps, and -which has a small aperture at the top for the escape of the smoke. In -the centre of this they build a fire, close the entrance, and shut -themselves in till the temperature reaches an elevation which throws -them into a profuse perspiration. They then rush out and plunge -themselves into a stream of cold water. This is repeated every day till -the disease leaves or death comes. - -But many, without any ailment, resort to this bath as a luxury. They -will stay in the oven till they are hardly able to crawl out and reach -the stream. It is great fun for the more sturdy ones to lift out the -exhausted and dash them in the flood. You hardly expect to see them rise -again, but up they come, and regain the earth full of life and vigor. -The reaction is instantaneous, and the effect, I have no doubt, in many -cases beneficial. It, at least, gives them a good washing, which they -would hardly get without, and which they too often need. The Indian also -takes to the water to quench the flames of rum. His poor mortal tenement -is often wrapped in such a conflagration. It would be a good thing if -all the rum-drinkers could be marched once a week under the falls of -Niagara. - - -SUNDAY, SEPT. 27. There is no day in the week in which my feelings run -homeward so strongly as on the Sabbath. That day makes me feel indeed as -an exile. A vast moral desolation spreads around me: only here and there -a speck of verdure sprinkles the mighty waste. All else is bleak and -barren. You turn your eyes to the hills where you were born, the church -where you were baptized, and would rush back to them on the steep wave -of time. - - -MONDAY, SEPT. 28. When Monterey was taken by our squadron, an order was -issued by the commander-in-chief that all the grog-shops should be -closed. The object of this was to prevent disorder among the populace -and among the sailors, whose duties as a patrol confined them to the -shore. It was with great difficulty that this order could be enforced. -All moderate fines failed to secure its observance. The price of -aguardiente rose to four and five dollars the bottle, more than ten -times its original cost: for such a premium the shopkeeper would run the -hazard of the penalty. - -We searched for it as for hid treasures, but only in one instance found -its hiding-place. This was in a chimney, hanging about midway from the -top. When discovered, the shopkeeper laughed as loudly as they who made -the search. He was fined, not for having grog in his chimney, for that -is a very good place for it, but for retailing it at his counter. An -offer of four or five dollars from a customer never failed to bring down -a bottle. He paid his fine of twenty-five dollars, but begged hard for -the liquor. I took it into my custody, and told him to call for it when -the last American man-of-war had left port. - - -TUESDAY, SEPT. 29. A brother and sister of a Mexican family applied to -me to-day for permission to leave their mother. On inquiring the cause -of this singular request, they stated that their father was dead, and -that their mother by her immoralities had brought sore discredit on -their house. I ascertained from other sources the truth of their -statement, and then gave them permission to rent another dwelling. They -were both modest and genteel in their appearance, but jealousy of a -sister’s fair reputation had prevailed with the brother over filial -affection. And yet when he spoke of his mother his eyes filled with -tears. - - -WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30. An express arrived last night from the Pueblo -below, bringing the startling intelligence that the populace had risen -upon the small American force left there under command of Capt. -Gillespie—that the insurgents had entire possession of the town—that the -Americans were closely besieged in their quarters, and it was doubtful -if they would be able to hold out much longer. The express stated that -he left the town under a volley of musketry, which he narrowly escaped, -but which took such deadly effect on his horse, that he dropped under -him about two leagues out. - -He had a permit from the American alcalde to press horses wherever -found. He rode the whole distance—four hundred and sixty miles—in -fifty-two hours, during which time he had not slept. His intelligence -was for Com. Stockton, and in the nature of the case was not committed -to paper, except a few words over the signature of the alcalde, rolled -in a cigar, which was fastened in his hair. But the commodore had sailed -for San Francisco, and it was necessary he should go on a hundred and -forty miles further. He was quite exhausted; I ordered him a bowl of -strong coffee, which revived him, and a hearty supper, which he eagerly -devoured. He was allowed to sleep three hours: in the mean time I -procured fresh horses, and penned a permit for him to press others when -these should begin to flag. Before the day glimmered he was up and away. - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 1. Com. Stockton, before the departure of the Congress, -appointed T. H. Green, Esq., collector of customs at this port. Mr. G. -is a native of Pennsylvania, has resided in this country several years, -and enjoys a wide reputation for business habits, and sterling integrity -of character. Mr. Hartwell, an Englishman by birth, has been appointed -inspector and translator. He is familiar with all the languages spoken -in California, and filled the same office under the Mexican government -to which he has been appointed under this. But we are gratified with his -appointment for another reason. He has some twenty children of his own, -and in addition to these, five adopted orphans. - - -FRIDAY, OCT. 2. A Spaniard of some note and noise here, and consul of -her Christian Majesty, attempted in court to-day to flourish down the -claim of an humble Californian to whom he was indebted some eight -hundred dollars. He said this creditor was once his servant, that he -could neither read nor write, and that he felt quite indignant that he -should have the assurance to bring him into court. I told him the first -question was, whether he really owed the man the amount claimed: this -being settled, we could very easily dispose of the belles-lettres part -of the matter. He at first recollected nothing, except that the man had -once been his servant; but on being shown the account, reluctantly -admitted that it might be correct. I told him, if correct, and he had -the means, he must pay it, though the creditor were fresh from Congo. -Finding that we had in our court only a horizontal justice, holding its -level line alike over kings and slaves, he signed an obligation for the -payment in six months, and gave the security required. So much for -attempting to liquidate a debt by an hidalgo flourish. Law which fails -to protect the humble, disgraces the name which it bears. - - -SATURDAY, OCT. 3. A heavy mist hung over the landscape this morning till -the sun was high in the heavens, and many began to predict rain, a -phenomenon which I have not yet witnessed in California. But towards -noon the mist departed like a shadow dissolved in light. The scorched -hills lifted their naked summits, and the deep ravines revealed their -irregular lines of lingering verdure. In these the cattle still graze, -though the streams which once poured their waters through them exist now -only in little motionless pools, hardly sufficient to drift a duck. A -stranger looking at these hills might be excused if he inquired the -distance to Sodom. It would never enter his most vagrant dreams that he -had reached that land towards which the tide of emigration was rolling -over the cliffs of the Rocky Mountains. - - -SUNDAY, OCT. 4. The presiding priest of this jurisdiction applied to me -a few days since to protect the property of the San Antonio Mission. A -Spaniard, it seems, who owns a neighboring rancho, had, under color of -some authority of the late administration, extended his claims over the -grounds and buildings, and was appropriating the whole to his private -purposes. I summoned the Spaniard before me, and asked for the evidence -of his right and title to the establishment. He had no document to -exhibit. His sole claim evidently rested in some vague permission, in -which the lines of moral justice were wholly omitted, or too faintly -drawn to be seen. - -I therefore ordered that the mission buildings and grounds should be -delivered back to the presiding priest, and that the fixtures, which had -been removed, should at once be restored. The order was forthwith -carried into effect. This decision is of some moment, as it will serve -as a precedent in reference to other missions. These sacred domains are -the patrimonial inheritance of the Indian, and they once embraced the -wealth of California. But they have fallen a prey to state exigencies -and private rapacity. They ought at once to be restored to their -primitive objects, or converted into a school-fund. - - -MONDAY, OCT. 5. A courier arrived to-day from San Francisco, bringing -the intelligence that the Savannah had sailed for San Pedro. They will -there land a large force, which will march at once to the Pueblo de los -Angeles, and, if possible, bring the insurgents to an engagement. But -the probability is, that they will instantly disband and fly to the -forests. If they declined battle, with Gen. Castro and his regular -troops at their head, they will undoubtedly do it when left to -themselves, unless frantic passion has entirely overcome inherent -fickleness. - - -TUESDAY, OCT. 6. The usual rate of interest for money loaned here on -good security, is twenty-four per cent. This is sufficient evidence of -its scarcity, and yet it is almost valueless when you come to the -question of labor. A foreigner may be induced to work for money, but not -a Californian, so long as he has a pound of beef or a pint of beans -left. Nor is it much better with the Indian: take from him the -inducements to labor which rum and gambling present, and he will refuse -to work for you. The blanket, which he wore last year, will answer for -this; his shirt and pants can easily be repaired; his food is in every -field and forest, and he seems to have as little scruple in taking it -from the one as the other. - -Hunger is unknown here; the man who has not a foot of land seems about -as independent as he who has his ten-league farm, and has vastly less -trouble and vexation. It is true he will now and then kill a bullock -that is not his, but the fact that there are vast herds roaming about -which never had an owner, seems, in his estimation, greatly to diminish -the private trespass which he commits. It is with him only as if he had -taken a pickerel from a pond instead of the ocean. - - -WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7. The great Mormon company, who came out in the -Brooklyn, have had a split. The volcano, it seems, has been rumbling for -some time, and has at last broke forth in flame. The explosion will -undoubtedly throw them into different parts of California, and defeat -any attempts at a distinct political community. The difficulty lay in -the assumptions of the leader. He has all the ambition of their lost -prophet, without any of his affected meekness. He attempted the iron -rod, without first having persuaded those who were to feel its force -that it had been put in his hands by a higher power. - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 8. One of the rooms in the house which I have rented, has -been occupied by some of the goods and chattels of the previous tenant. -To-day they were called for, and I observed among them a large basket -filled with egg-shells. They had been perforated at both ends, and their -contents blown out. But to what use could any one put these empty -shells? They had been prepared, it seems, for the festivities of the -carnival. On this occasion they are to be filled with scented water or -tinsel, the apertures closed with wax, and then broken, in merriment, -over the heads of guests. This liberty with caps and wigs is warranted -only where some intimacy exists between the parties. Where this is -found, the eggs fall thick as hail. The young and old float in lavender -and cologne. This expensive frolic is often indulged in by those who, -perhaps, have hardly money enough left to purchase one of the forty hens -that laid the eggs. - - -FRIDAY, OCT. 9. The trouble of young and old here is the flea. The -native who is thoroughly inured to his habits may little heed him, but -he keeps the stranger in a constant nettle. One would suppose, from his -indiscriminate and unmitigated hostility, he considered himself the -proprietor of all California. Indeed, he does seem to be the genuine -owner of the soil, instead of a tenant at will. It is true he may -construct no dwellings, but he will plant himself in every nook and -corner of the one which you may construct. He jumps into your cradle, -jumps with you all along through life, and well would it be for those -who remain if he jumped with you out of it. But no, he remains still; -and grief for your loss will half forget its bereavement in parrying his -assaults. - - -SATURDAY, OCT. 10. We are waiting with some anxiety for news from the -Pueblo de los Angeles. A rumor reached here yesterday, that the small -American force there would not be able to hold out much longer against -the overwhelming odds of the insurgents. But the Savannah must by this -time have reached San Pedro, and her crew be on their march to the scene -of action. They are a body of brave, unflinching men, and are commanded -by officers of great firmness and force. A sailor on land never thinks -of running more than he would at sea. He is trained to stand to his -post, and will do so on the field as well as the deck. The last man who -left the ground in that disreputable retreat from Bladensburg was a -sailor. When the rest were far out of sight he remained at his gun, and -was wadding home to give the enemy another shot. In the fight of the -Essex many threw themselves out of the ports, determined to drown sooner -than surrender. - - -SUNDAY, OCT. 11. Another bright and beautiful Sabbath has dawned; but -there is little here to remind one of its sacredness. A few of the -larger stores are closed, but the smaller shops are all open. More -liquors are retailed on this day than any other three. I have the power -to close these shops, and shall do it. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - FIRE ON THE MOUNTAINS.—EMIGRANTS.—PISTOLS AND PILLOWS.—LEADERS OF THE - INSURRECTION.—CALIFORNIA PLOUGH.—DEFEAT AT SAN PEDRO.—COL. FREMONT’S - BAND.—THE MALEK ADHEL.—MONTEREY THREATENED.—SOLDIER - OUTWITTED.—RAISING MEN.—BRIDEGROOM.—CULPRITS. - -MONDAY, OCT. 12. A wide conflagration is sweeping over the hills which -encircle the bay of Monterey. The forests, and the grass with which they -are feathered, are as dry as tinder, and the flame rolls on with its -line of fire clearly and fearfully defined. This has become still more -grand and awful since the night set in. The clouds seem to float in an -atmosphere of fire; and the billows, as they roll to the rock-bound -shore, are crested with flame. The birds are flying from their crackling -covert, and the wolves go howling over the hills. It is a type of that -final conflagration in which the great frame of nature will at last -sink. - - -TUESDAY, OCT. 13. Emigrants from the United States are still pouring -into the rich valley of the Sacramento. A letter from one of them -says:—“It may not be uninteresting to you to know that the emigrants by -land the present season far exceed the expectation of the most sanguine. -No less than two thousand are now in the interior, and within a hundred -miles of the settlements. They bring with them a large amount of -intelligence, wealth, and industry, all of which are greatly needed in -their new home. The Mormons alone have a train of more than three -hundred wagons.” - -These emigrants will change the face of California. We shall soon have -not only the fruits of nature, but of human industry. We shall soon be -able to get a ball of butter without churning it on the back of a wild -colt; and a potatoe without weighing it as if it were a doubloon. Were -it possible for a man to live without the trouble of drawing his breath, -I should look for this pleasing phenomenon in California. - - -WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14. The success of the insurgents at the south has -emboldened the reckless here. Bands have been gathering in the vicinity -to make a night assault on Monterey. Their plan is to capture or drive -out the small American force here, and plunder the town. Those engaged -in it are men of desperate fortunes. The streets to-day have been -barricaded, and the true and trusty among the citizens have been formed -into a night patrol. I sleep with my rifle at my bedside, and with two -pistols under my pillow. My servant, who is a brave little fellow, is -also armed to the teeth. He ought to be brave, for he was born in St. -Helena, close to the tomb of Napoleon, and must have caught some fire -from the hero’s ashes. My house has grated windows, and an entrance that -is easily defended against odds, so that we shall probably make a pretty -good fight of it. One thing is certain, neither of us go out alive. I -will not be taken, tortured, and hacked to pieces, as two of our -countrymen were a few months since. - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 15. No assault yet; but a company of horsemen have been -seen to-day crossing the southern plain, and winding off behind the -hills at the west. They have, as a messenger informs us, joined another -party much larger than their own, and are now encamped in the woods. The -citizens here who have been true to our flag, feel deeply alarmed; and -in truth they have some occasion, for if the town is sacked they will be -among the first sufferers. I have sent an express to Com. Stockton, who -is at San Francisco, where he has been engaged in raising and -dispatching a heavy force for San Pedro. He will be here with the -Congress as fast as the winds and waves can bring him. - - -FRIDAY, OCT. 16. Our relief has come. The Congress arrived to-day, and -the commodore immediately landed, under Capt. Maddox, U. S. marine -corps, a sufficient force to repel any attack that may be made. Our -friends now breathe more freely. They may go outside the town without -the fear of having their retreat cut off by a flying horseman, and sleep -at night without the apprehension of awaking under a flaming roof. The -noble tars of the Congress, when they saw our flag still flying on the -fort, hailed it with three stout cheers, which were heard over all -Monterey. They feared, and not without reason, that it had been -captured; and when they saw it still streaming on the wind, their -enthusiasm and joy broke forth. - - -SATURDAY, OCT. 17. As soon as the intelligence of the insurrection below -reached Com. Stockton, he dispatched the Savannah to San Pedro; and sent -fast in her wake a quick coaster, with Col. Fremont and two hundred -riflemen on board, who are to land in the night at Santa Barbara, and -take the place by surprise. This was managed with so much celerity and -secrecy, that the disaffected here are still ignorant of the fact. - -What will be the surprise of the insurgents at los Angeles, if defeated -by the forces of the Savannah, to find their retreat cut off by the -riflemen of Col. Fremont! Between these two fires there will be little -chance of escape. Not a few of them have given their parol of honor that -they will not, on pain of death, take up arms against the United States. -They are now in the field, and their treachery may cost them their -lives. It is painful, but may be necessary to make examples of them. -California will never have any repose while they are in it. They have -headed every revolution that has taken place for years, and they have -now headed their last. - - -SUNDAY, OCT. 18. I issued, a few days since, an ordinance against -gambling—a vice which shows itself here more on the Sabbath than any -other day of the week. The effect of it has been to drive the gamblers -from the town into the bushes. I have been informed this evening, that -in a ravine, at a short distance, some thirty individuals have been -engaged through the day in this desperate play. They selected a spot -deeply embowered in shade, and escaped the eye of my constables. But -there is an eye from the glance of which the gloom of the forest and -even the recesses of night afford no refuge. - - -MONDAY, OCT. 19. Some twenty men left the precincts of Monterey, last -night, to join the insurgents at the south. They are all men of -desperate fortunes, and may find that they have started too late. They -who have been duped may perhaps be spared, but the ringleaders are -doomed. There is only one resting-place for them in California. He who -breaks his solemnly plighted faith, can claim no mercy for the past and -no confidence for the future. - -Were this frantic insurrection sustained by the slightest probability of -success, it would relieve, perhaps, its madness and atrocity. But they -who instigated it knew it must end in disaster and blood. They knew its -only trophies must be a little plunder, cursed by the crimes through -which it had been procured. They threw themselves down this cataract, -and will never again reascend its steep wave. - - -TUESDAY, OCT. 20. The mode of cultivating land in California is -eminently primitive. In December or January they take a piece of wood in -the shape of a ship’s knee, dress it down a little with a dull axe, and -spike a piece of iron to the lower point. A pole, by which the oxen -draw, runs from the inner bend of the knee to the yoke. This pole has a -mortise, about eight inches long, made slanting, and about a foot from -the after end; a piece of wood, about two inches by six, runs up through -the plough and pole, and is so wedged into the mortise of the pole, as -to make the plough run shallow or deep as required. But if the ground -happens to be hard the plough will not enter an inch, and if there are -roots in the ground it must be lifted over, or it will be invariably -broken. Such is a California plough; such a fair specimen of the arts -here. - - -WEDNESDAY, OCT. 21. If late in the season, the Californian rarely -prepares the ground by any furrowing attempts. He scatters the seed -about the field, and then scratches it in with the thing which he calls -a plough. Should this scratching fail of yielding him sixty bushels to -the acre, he grumbles. In reaping he cuts so high, to save a little -trouble in threshing, which is done here by horses, that he loses -one-eighth of his crop; but this eighth serves for seed the next season; -and what to him is better still, saves the trouble of sowing. So that -his second crop plants itself from the first, and is often nearly as -large as its predecessor. Even the third self-planted crop is quite -respectable, and would satisfy a New England farmer for his laborious -toil; but here it generally goes to the blackbirds. - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 22. A mother came to me, to-day, with a request that I -would summon before me another woman, who had slandered her daughter. I -tried to dissuade her from it—told her that persevering virtue would -outlive all scandal. But she said she was a poor widow, and the -reputation of her family was all she had to depend on. So I summoned the -woman, who confessed her injurious words, but said they had been uttered -in passion, and that she now deeply regretted them. On her assurance -that she would repair as far as in her power any injury she had done, I -dismissed the parties. - - -FRIDAY, OCT. 23. The merchant ship Vandalia is just in from San Pedro, -with intelligence from the seat of war. Capt. Gillespie, it seems, had -been obliged to capitulate; but the terms were that he should leave the -Pueblo with all the honors of war. He marched out of the town with his -flag flying; and, on arriving at San Pedro, embarked on board the -Vandalia. - -The frigate Savannah soon hove in sight. Her forces under Capt. Mervin, -and those from the Vandalia under Capt. Gillespie, started at once for -the Pueblo. After a march of fifteen miles, they encamped for the night. -But their slumbers were soon disturbed by a shot, which thundered its -way into their midst. They seized their arms, but in the darkness of the -night nothing could be seen, and nothing heard save the distant tramp of -horses. At break of day they renewed their march, but had not proceeded -far before they were attacked by a Californian force on horseback, -drawing a four-pounder. Their enemy kept out of the range of their -muskets, fled as fast as they charged, and, having gained a safe -distance, wheeled and played upon them with their four-pounder, charged -with grape. Capt. Mervin, finding himself unable to bring the enemy to a -general engagement, and having five of his men killed, and a greater -number wounded, ordered a retreat, and returned without further -molestation on board the Savannah. His defeat lay in the fact that his -men were all on foot, and without any artillery to protect them against -the longer range of the piece which the enemy had brought into the -field. - - -SATURDAY, OCT. 24. Col. Fremont having fallen in with the Vandalia, and -ascertained from her that no horses could be procured for his men at -Santa Barbara, decided on returning in the Sterling to this port. His -arrival has been delayed by a succession of light head winds, and dead -calms. When within fifty miles of the port, a boat was dispatched, which -is just in. Several of his men came in her, who are to start in advance -in quest of horses. They will probably have to go as far as the -Sacramento, for all the horses in this immediate vicinity have been -driven south by the insurgents. I have lost both of mine; but what are -two to the hundred and fifty which were driven from the farm of one man. -If misery loves company, I have a plenty of that sort of consolation. -But the extent of a misfortune depends not so much on what is taken, as -what is left. The last surviving child in a family is invested with the -affections which encircled the whole. - - -SUNDAY, OCT. 25. With us the sound of the church-going bell has been -exchanged for the roll of the drum. One of the moral miseries of war is -the profanation of the Sabbath which it involves. There is something in -military movements which seems to cut the conscience adrift from its -moorings on this subject. - - -MONDAY, OCT. 26. We shall soon see what the genius of Com. Stockton is -equal to in a great emergency. He will arrive at San Pedro without -horses, or any means of procuring them. They are all driven off, or -under men who seem as if born on the saddle. He will encounter on his -march to los Angeles the same flying-artillery which foiled the forces -under Capt. Mervin. But he will have several well-mounted pieces; they -must be drawn, however, by oxen over a deep sandy road. If the enemy -comes within range, he will open and give them a volley of grape. In -this way he will reach, recapture the place, and unfurl the stars and -stripes. But how he will maintain himself—how he will procure provisions -with the country around in the hands of a mounted enemy, remains to be -seen. Military genius, however, asserts its fullest force in the -greatest emergency. It is like the eagle exulting in peril, and throwing -its strong pinions on the mountain storm. - - -TUESDAY, OCT. 27. The prize brig Malek Adhel, commanded by Lieut. W. B. -Renshaw, arrived in port this afternoon in thirty days from Mazatlan. -She brings the first intelligence of her own capture. The U. S. ship -Warren, under Commander Hull, anchored off Mazatlan on the sixth ult., -and found there the Malek Adhel, moored within a hundred and fifty yards -of the mole, with sails unbent, and running rigging unrove. The next day -her rudder was to have been unshipped, and she was to have been hauled -up the creek for safe keeping. Commander Hull determined immediately to -cut her out; hauled his ship in close to the bar, and sent sixty men in -the launch and the three cutters, under charge of Lieuts. Radford and -Renshaw, with orders to bring her out, or finding that impracticable, to -burn her. On their approach, the officer in charge escaped to the shore: -they boarded her without opposition, unmoored and warped her outside the -bar. While doing this, about two hundred and fifty Mexican soldiers -mustered on the mole; another party dragged a field-piece up the hill -abreast of the brig, commanding her and the channel to the bar; but upon -a second thought the governor determined to offer no resistance, -alleging that the Warren’s guns would do more damage to the town than -the brig was worth. The Malek Adhel, however, is a valuable prize, being -a fine sailer and a good seaboat; she was gallantly captured. - - -WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28. The Sterling is just in with Col. Fremont and his -riflemen. They are in a half-starved condition, having been for several -days on the very shortest commons. I never met with a more famished -crew. The call for meat and bread roused up all the butchers and bakers -in Monterey. What an energy there is in downright hunger! - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 29. Our Indian scouts, who came in yesterday, reported -the discovery of a large band of Californians in the cover of the hills -within the vicinity of Monterey. They probably purposed an attack on the -town last night, as the garrison had been weakened by the absence of -thirty men, who had left, under the command of Capt. Maddox, for San -Juan. But the unexpected arrival of Col. Fremont frustrated their plans. -We might have a battle with them were there horses here; but to attempt -it on foot, would be like a man with a wooden leg chasing a hare. - -Monterey has at present much the aspect of a military garrison. The -streets are barricaded; a patrol is kept up night and day; no one is -permitted to leave without a written passport, and no one allowed to -enter without reporting himself to the police. No one can be in the -streets after nine without the countersign. Every thing, of course, in -the shape of amusement is at an end; even ordinary business is in a -great measure suspended. You hear only the roll of the drum at muster, -and the toll of the bell over some one going to his last rest. - - -FRIDAY, OCT. 30. One of the guard in charge of Col. Fremont’s horses, in -the vicinity of the town, was approached, this afternoon, by two -Californians on horseback, who inquired if he had seen a buck break from -the woods near by. Having by this natural question laid suspicion, they -entered into conversation on other topics, watched their opportunity, -seized his rifle, shot him, and dashed off at full speed. The nefarious -act produced a profound sensation in the camp. The shot, however, proves -not mortal, so that the wounded man may yet have an opportunity of -facing his foe in the field. - - -SATURDAY, OCT. 31. Enlistments are going on actively among the emigrants -recently arrived on the banks of the Sacramento. The women and children -are placed in the missions; the men take the rifle and start for the -battle-field: such is their welcome to California. The Israelites -entered the land of promise by arms, and established themselves by the -force of their military prowess. But this is not quite the land of -promise, nor are these Israelites who stream over the Rocky Mountains. -But they are a sturdy band, whose enterprise will cover these fertile -hills with golden harvests. They have pitched their tents by the -water-courses, and those tents they will never strike. - -They are enlisted into the service mainly through the activity of Capt. -Montgomery, who commands the Portsmouth, and is military commandant of -the northern department of California. His measures have been judicious, -his action prompt, and he has rendered substantial service in supplying -from the emigrations the sinews of war. Every American in California -shows his entire stature; no one is lost in the crowd; no voice is -drowned by a general clamor; every action tells. It is a blow which -thunders by itself on the great anvil of time. It is another rock rolled -into the foundations of a mighty empire. - - -SUNDAY, NOV. 1. An Indian was taken up by one of our scouts yesterday, -who confessed that he was the bearer of a message from a Roman Catholic -priest to a party that were arming themselves to join the insurrection. -The message conveyed intelligence of the approach of our forces. The -Indian was sent back to his master with the intelligence that if he -attempted any further correspondence with the enemy, it would be at the -peril of his life. - - -MONDAY, NOV. 2d. Our bay is full of the finest fish, and yet it is rare -to meet one on the table. There is not a boat here in which one can -safely trust himself a cable’s length from land. And if there were, -there would be no Californian to row it. Could they go to sea on their -horses, and fish from their saddles, they would often be seen dashing -through the surf; but to sit quietly in a boat and bob a line, is -entirely too tame a business. Put a fish on land, and give him the speed -of the buck, and he would have a dozen Californians and forty hounds on -his trail. - - -TUESDAY, NOV. 3. A Californian in my employ asked me to-day to pay him a -small sum in advance of his services, stating that he was on the eve of -being married, and wanted this advance to enable him to put silver -mountings on his saddle and bridle. Had he asked me for money with which -to pay the priest, I should have understood the propriety of the -request; but the connection between a silver star on the head-stall of -his bridle and a marriage celebration, surpassed my dim comprehension. -However, as there was a lady in the case, I let him have the money. But -it seems it is the custom here, for the bridegroom to appear on his -wedding-day upon a splendid horse, elegantly caparisoned. It is then the -silver star shines out. The noble steed and glittering trappings divide -with the bride the admiration of the crowd. - - -WEDNESDAY, NOV. 4. The Californians now in arms number twelve or -fourteen hundred. They are from every section of the country. Their -rallying point is los Angeles. They have made a clean sweep of all the -horses along the coast. Natives as well as foreigners are left to get -along on foot. This is not an easy task in a country where furlongs -stretch into leagues. - -Of these twelve hundred in arms, probably not a hundred have a foot of -land. They drift about like Arabs, stealing the horses on which they -ride, and the cattle on which they subsist. They are ready to join any -revolution, be its leaders whom they may. If the tide of fortune turns -against them, they disband and scatter to the four winds. They never -become martyrs in any cause. They are too numerous to be brought to -punishment. No government has been strong enough to set them at -defiance, or dispense with their venal aid. They have now, however, to -deal with a power too sagacious to be cajoled, and too strong to be -overawed. They will not be permitted to spring a revolution, and leave -its consequences to others. The results will follow them into every -forest and fastness. They have but one escape, and that leads into -Mexico. Men of substance will regret their loss about as much as the -Egyptians the disappearance of the locusts. - - -THURSDAY, NOV. 5. The second rain of the season fell last night. It came -down copiously for several hours: multitudes forgot their dreams in -listening to its grateful patter on the roof. The effects of the first -shower, which fell a few days since, are visible in the landscape. - - From the moist meadow to the withered hill, - Led by the breeze, the vivid verdure runs, - And swells and deepens to the cherished eye. - - -FRIDAY, NOV. 6. Two Californians were arrested to-day by one of my -constables, charged with having broken open a shop and robbed it of many -valuable articles. The burglary was committed several nights since, but -no clue to the perpetrators could be obtained. By keeping silent on the -subject, one of them had at last the imprudence to offer for sale one of -the stolen articles, which was immediately identified, and led to the -detection of both. Most of the property was found in their possession, -and restored to its owners. The evidence of their guilt being -conclusive, and there being no young lawyer here to pick a flaw in the -indictment, or help them to an _alibi_, they were sentenced each to the -public works for one year. The way of transgressors is hard. - - -SATURDAY, NOV. 7. In Monterey, as in all other towns that I have ever -seen, crimes are perpetrated mostly at night. The Indian, however, -steals when the temptation presents itself, and trusts luck for the -consequences. And in truth if any being has a right to steal, it is the -civilized Indian of California. All the mission lands, with their -delicious orchards, waving grain, flocks and herds, were once his, and -were stolen from him by the white man. He has only one mode of -retaliating these wrongs. But Californians and foreigners, more wary, -steal at night. It is as true here as elsewhere— - - “That when the searching eye of heaven is hid - Behind the globe, and lights the lower world, - Then thieves and robbers range abroad unseen, - In murders, and in outrage, bloody here; - But when, from under this terrestrial ball, - He fires the proud tops of the eastern pines, - And darts his light through every guilty hole, - Then murders, treasons, and detested sins, - The cloak of night being plucked from off their backs, - Stand bare and naked, trembling at themselves.” - - -SUNDAY, NOV. 8. There is not, except myself, a Protestant clergyman in -California. If the tide of emigration continues, there will be thousands -here without a spiritual teacher. Years must elapse before any can be -trained here for the sacred office. The supply must come from abroad. -The American churches must wake up to their duty on this subject. These -emigrants are their children, and they should extend to them their most -jealous care. - -[Illustration: Burt, sc.] - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - SANTA BARBARA TAKEN.—LIEUT. TALBOT AND HIS TEN.—GAMBLING IN - PRISON.—RECRUITS.—A FUNNY CULPRIT.—MOVEMENTS OF COM. - STOCKTON.—BEAUTY AND THE GRAVE.—BATTLE ON THE SALINAS.—THE CAPTAIN’S - DAUGHTER.—STOLEN PISTOLS.—INDIAN BEHIND A TREE.—NUPTIALS IN - CALIFORNIA. - -MONDAY, NOV. 9. The guard of ten, commanded by Lieut. T. Talbot, and -posted at Santa Barbara to maintain the American flag, arrived here last -evening. When the insurrection broke out at the south, they were -summoned by some two hundred Californians to surrender. They contrived, -however, under cover of night, to effect their escape. Their first halt -was in a thicket, to which they were pursued by some fifty of the enemy -on horseback. They waited, like lions in their lair, till the foe was -within good rifle shot, and then discharged their pieces with terrific -effect. The surviving assailants left their dead, and rushed back for -reinforcements: but in the mean time, the hardy ten had pushed their way -several leagues to the east, and gained a new ambush. An Indian might -perhaps have trailed them; but their pursuers had not this wild -sagacity. They rode here and there, penetrating every thicket, but the -right one, and to prevent their escape at night, set fire to the woods. -But one ravine, overhung with green pines, covered them with its -mantling shadows; through this they made their noiseless escape. - -To avoid the Californians, who were coming down in great numbers from -the north to join their comrades in the south, the party of ten held -their course to the east. They spent several days in attempting to find -the pass which leads through the first range of the Californian -mountains to the valley of the San Joaquin; but being unacquainted with -the topography of the country, their utmost efforts were baffled. During -this time they suffered greatly from hunger and thirst: the rugged -steeps, among which they were straying, yielded neither streams nor -game. At last, they fell in with a Cholo, the Arab of California, who -kindly offered to conduct them to the mountain pass, and surrendered the -use of his horse to carry their knapsacks and blankets. The pass was -gained; but their hospitable guide still continued with them till they -reached a tribe of Indians on the opposite side. Here he took leave of -them, declining all compensation for his pains, and started back for his -wild mountain home. - -The Indians received them kindly, gave them their best acorns to eat, -and their purest water to drink. These are the Indians who were brought -before me a few months since, charged with an attempt to steal a drove -of horses from Carmel. There being no positive proof of guilt, they were -kindly treated, and instead of being threatened with dungeons and death, -were dismissed with many beautiful presents. These presents they still -preserved, and exhibited them with evident gratification and pride to -their new guests. - -Lieut. Talbot and party, guided by these faithful Indians, now held -their course through the valley of the San Joaquin. Their progress was -delayed by the sickness of one of their companions, whom they were -obliged to carry on a litter. They subsisted entirely on the wild game -which they killed. They were all on foot; and after travelling nearly -five hundred miles in this manner, reached Monterey, where they were -welcomed to the camp of Col. Fremont with three hearty cheers. - - -TUESDAY, NOV. 10. The merchant ship Euphemia arrived to-day from the -Sandwich Islands, bringing the intelligence that the Columbus, bearing -the broad pennant of Com. Biddle, had sailed from Honolulu for -Valparaiso. We shall not then see that noble ship on this coast; she is -bound homeward round the Cape. Her eight hundred men, with Com. Biddle -at their head, would have been a great accession to our strength. It is -not, however, a naval force of which we stand in greatest need. The war -in California can never be decided from the deck. We want some five -hundred horsemen, thoroughly accustomed to the saddle and the rifle, and -a few pieces of flying-artillery. Without these we shall have constant -attempts at revolution. They will invariably end in the defeat of those -who get them up, but will involve private property and the public -tranquility. - - -WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11. I found one of our prisoners at work to-day without -a shirt, and supposed at first that he was indulging in some whim; but -ascertained, upon further inquiry, that he had gambled it away to a -fellow-prisoner. They had no cards or dice, but had managed to -substitute a bone, which they whirled into the air, and which decided -the game by falling with this or that end into the ground. I made the -winner give back the shirt, which he did with evident reluctance, as he -had played his own against it, and would have been, had he lost, as -naked as his neighbor. An Indian, and Californian too, will gamble to -the skin of their teeth, and even part with their grinders were they -articles of value to others. But a tooth is much like the principle of -life, which avails no one save its owner. - - -THURSDAY, NOV. 12. Capt. Grigsby arrived to-day from Sonoma with thirty -mounted riflemen and sixty horses, and joined Col. Fremont’s encampment. -Capt. Hastings is expected in every day from San José with sixty men, -well mounted, and twice that number of horses. Every rider here, -destined on an arduous expedition, must have one or two spare horses, -especially at this season of the year, when no feed can be procured -except the slender grass which has sprung up in the recent showers, and -which contains very little sustenance. It is easier to procure provender -for a thousand horses on a march in the United States than ten here. And -yet the table-lands here are covered through the summer with wild oats. -But where are the reapers? On horseback, galloping about and carousing -at this rancho and that. Their sickles are the rein, their sheaves a -pack of cards, their flails a guitar. - - “No cocks do them to rustic labor call, - From village on to village sounding clear; - To tardy swain no shrill-voiced matron’s squall, - Nor hammer’s thump disturbs the vacant ear.” - - -FRIDAY, NOV. 13. Two fellows of Mexican origin were brought before me -to-day, charged with breaking open the money-chest of the eating-house -where they had transiently stopped, and taking from it about five -hundred dollars. The owner having immediate occasion to go to his chest, -discovered his loss, and suspected at once the persons concerned in it. -They were apprehended, and soon after the money was found in the back -yard, where it had been hastily buried after having been tied up in a -handkerchief, which was identified as the neck-cloth of one of the -accused. One discovery led to another, till the evidences of guilt, -involving both, were fully established. - -One of them then said there was no use in trying to get rid of the -business any longer, and he would now tell the whole story straight as -an arrow. He said that he and Antonio had talked over the matter the -night before, and that he then attempted to reach the chest, but that -the person in whose room it lay, and who had been asleep, suddenly -stopped snoring, and getting alarmed he ran down stairs. But this -morning, while Antonio was entertaining the rest, and treating them to -cocktails, he slipped up to the chamber, broke the lock, and filled his -pockets with the coin. He had no time, he said, to pick out the gold, -which would have been a great convenience, but scraped up silver and -gold as they came, leaving in the chest about as much as he took. It was -very vexatious, he said, to leave so much, but his pockets would hold no -more: he was really afraid they would fetch away with what they had got. -But he buoyed them up with his hands, reached the back yard, where he -delivered the money over to Antonio, who received it in his handkerchief -and buried it; but buried it in exactly the wrong spot, for he went off -into a corner instead of sinking it where everybody must step over it. - -He told this story with a countenance which played between a tragic and -comic expression. Antonio, who had been both diverted and alarmed by the -narrative of his accomplice, when it came his turn to speak, said his -companion was the funniest fellow alive; he believed he would joke on -the scaffold, if he could shake a kink out of the rope, and get -breathing time for it. They were both a strange compound of wit and -villany. They were sentenced to the public works for three years. - - -SATURDAY, NOV. 14. The Savannah arrived here to-day from the leeward, -and reports the Congress on her way to San Diego, where she had gone to -reinforce the garrison. This important post had been recaptured by the -Americans, under the command of Capt. Merrit, an emigrant officer of -undaunted courage. He had been obliged to evacuate it a few weeks -before, and was fortunate in being able to get his men on board a whale -ship lying in the offing at the time. But a portion of the force opposed -to him having been withdrawn to support the Mexican flag at los Angeles, -he landed again in the night, and took the garrison by surprise. This -being the most southern post in California, Com. Stockton deemed it of -the first importance to make its possession secure. To effect this -object, he was obliged to postpone his purpose of recapturing at once -the capital of the province. The best way to fight the Californians is -to hem them in. They never turn upon you as lions at bay. The -possibility of an escape is an element in their courage. They never -borrow resolution from despair. They are so accustomed to range at -freedom, to make their homes wherever adventure or caprice may carry -them, that the idea of being cooped up to one place has almost as much -privation and misery in it as the slave-ship inflicts upon its captives. - - They still might deem their scope too pent, - Though each had leave to pitch his tent - Where’er his wildest wish might urge, - Within creation’s utmost verge. - - -SUNDAY, NOV. 15. One of the most beautiful ladies in Monterey has this -day been consigned to the silent grave. She was in the bloom of life, -and visions of happiness threw their enchantments along the vista of her -future years. She had all that wealth and beauty can bestow. Her -personal charms were rivalled only by those of her mind. Her heart -trembled through every fibre of her frame. - - “Whene’er with soft serenity she smiled, - Or caught the orient blush of quick surprise, - How sweetly mutable, how brightly wild, - The liquid lustre darted from her eyes! - Each look, each motion, waked a new-born grace, - That o’er her form a transient glory cast: - Some lovelier wonder soon usurped the place, - Chased by a charm still lovelier than the last.” - -But she is gone! she has left us like the bird which carolled in the -morn, and departed upon its slanting ray. But her virtues survive in a -brighter sphere; her beauty is stamped with immortality; her hand -strikes a harp that will pour its melodies when the groves and streams -of earth are silent. - - -MONDAY, NOV. 16. A Delaware Indian, quite out of breath, entered Col. -Fremont’s camp this morning with the intelligence that an irregular -engagement took place last evening between a party of forty Americans, -and a hundred and fifty Californians, on the Salinas river, about -fifteen miles from Monterey. The Americans were coming down from San -Juan, and had with them three hundred fresh horses which they had -brought from the Sacramento. The intelligence of their approach had -reached the Californians, who had mustered all their force in this -quarter, more for the purpose of capturing the horses than their riders. -But the Americans, who were sixty strong, anticipating the possibility -of an attack in crossing the river, left their horses, except those they -rode, in the rear with twenty of their number, while forty came ahead to -engage the Californians. They were surprised at their numbers, but -rushed at once into the encounter. Capt. Foster was killed in the first -charge, and Capt. Burrows, who was wounded in the first, fell in leading -the second. Two American privates were killed, and a number of -Californians. The encounter took place near sunset, and the Americans -remained in possession of the ground. - -The Delaware Indian, when the firing had slackened, left the field to -bring the intelligence to Col. Fremont; but having to turn the enemy’s -line, he was attacked by three Californians—one of whom he shot with his -rifle, another he killed with his tomahawk, and the third fled. His -horse broke down before he got in, and he ran the rest of the way on -foot. He reports that Thomas O. Larkin, Esq., the American consul, had -been captured the night before, while at a rancho between this and San -Juan. He had left Monterey to visit a sick child at San Francisco, and -stopped for the night, when he was suddenly pounced upon: nor wife nor -child will in any probability see him soon again. He will be closely -guarded; his life will be considered good for that of several prominent -Californian officers who have broken their parol; and not unlikely some -half-dozen may, in the event of disaster, be redeemed through his -liberation. - - -TUESDAY, NOV. 17. Col. Fremont, with his three hundred riflemen, took -his departure from Monterey this morning. They presented a very -formidable line as they wound around the bay and disappeared in the -shadows of the hills. - - Spur on my men; the bugle peals - Its last and stern command,— - A charge! a charge!—an ocean burst - Upon a stormy strand. - -The artillery is under the command of Capt. McLain, an officer of much -private worth and professional merit. He has at present two beautiful -brass-pieces, well mounted, and will have two more of the same -description on leaving San Juan. With these he will be able to do good -execution. Nothing alarms the Californians so much as a piece of -flying-artillery. They had rather see the very Evil One come scraggling -over the hills. - - -WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18. The horses which the Californians were endeavoring -to reach in their rencounter on the river, were all preserved. Their -loss would have been irretrievable in this campaign. The twenty men with -whom they were left, declared they would perish to a man sooner than -give them up. Rash as this resolution may seem, it would, had the -emergency occurred, have been terribly realized. The American engaged in -this war puts his life on the die. He must prevail or perish. If there -shall be a general engagement between the forces now in the field, it -will be one of the most frightful on record. The Americans are -outnumbered three to one,—still they are determined to hazard the issue; -and would, probably, were the odds much greater. As horsemen, the -Californians excel them; but they are greatly their superiors in the use -of the rifle and in maneuvering artillery. And these, after all, are the -weapons and engines that must decide a hot engagement. Neither party has -any veteran cuirassiers to hew their way to triumph through the cloven -crests of the foe. The most terrific encounters on the field of Waterloo -were between those who wielded the glaive. With them, at least, - - “An earthquake might have passed unheededly away.” - - -THURSDAY, NOV. 19. How strangely the lights and shadows of life are -blended! As I passed this evening the house of Capt. de la T——, a light -strain of music came floating out from the corridor upon the silent air. -It was the daughter of the captain whose hand swept the guitar which -accompanied the modulations of her melodious voice. Her father and her -uncle are both in the ranks of the Californians, leading a forlorn hope, -after having broken their parol of honor, and forfeited their lives. And -yet she is gay as if her father were only out hunting the gazelle. Just -list the numbers as they break from her thoughtless heart:— - - Fly not yet, ’tis just the hour - When pleasure, like the midnight flower, - That scorns the eye of vulgar light, - Begins to bloom for sons of night, - And maids who love the moon! - -And yet that moon before it wanes may gleam upon her father’s grave. But -she knows it not. She thinks this war will end as other Californian -wars—in smoke. But it is a tempest-cloud charged with bolted thunder. - - -FRIDAY, NOV. 20. A German complained to me this morning that one of the -volunteers, a countryman of his, under Col. Fremont, had stolen from him -a pair of valuable pistols. He strongly suspected the person who had -taken them. I sent for him; he confessed the act, delivered up the -pistols, and begged me, as this was his first offence, not to expose -him. He was a youth of eighteen or so, slightly built, and with a fair -and remarkably ingenuous countenance. I told him he must take heed, as -one offence often paves the way to another; but as he was in the -campaign, and might soon be on the field of peril and death, his error -should rest in silence with his own conscience. The tears stood in his -eyes. - - -SATURDAY, NOV. 21. Capt. Foster, it appears, was not shot in the heat of -the engagement on the river. He had rushed forward in advance to -reconnoiter, and was suddenly surrounded from an ambush, and fell, -bravely fighting to the last. A Delaware Indian, who was hastening to -his rescue, finding himself hotpressed, jumped from his horse behind a -tree, from which he shot three of his antagonists, and then effected his -escape. His living breastwork now shows in its scathed rind, how well it -served him. It looks as if the auger-worm had bored there for an age. - -There is something about a tree, with an Indian behind it, armed with a -rifle, pointing this way and that, which awkwardly tests a man’s nerves. -You seem to be shooting at the muzzle of his rifle instead of him; and -that is not the worst of it, he is all the while shooting at you. If -partial concealment lends a charm to beauty, it also lends terror to an -Indian. We think of the brake as much as the serpent coiled in its -shadows. Were lightning to fall without thunder, people would put -conductors on their bean-poles; and yet the blazing bolt strikes and -shivers while the lagging thunder is yet unheard. - - -SUNDAY, NOV. 22. As soon as it will be prudent to withdraw our men from -their posts on the Sabbath, I intend to propose a religious service. We -shall soon be able to gather fifty or more. Every house here has a -ball-room where the gay may dance, and a Madonna to whom the afflicted -may kneel; but none have a chapel; and if they had, the forms of -Protestant worship would be held a profanation. There is only one way to -get to heaven here, and that is through the absolving power of the Papal -See. Every other path leads to purgatorial pangs and penal fire. - - -MONDAY, NOV. 23. It is said the Californians are born on horseback; it -may also be said they are married on horseback. The day the marriage -contract is agreed on between the parties, the bridegroom’s first care -is to buy or borrow the best horse to be found in his vicinity. At the -same time he has to get, by one of these means, a silver-mounted bridle, -and a saddle with embroidered housings. This saddle must have, also, at -its stern, a bridal pillion, with broad aprons flowing down the flanks -of the horse. These aprons are also embroidered with silk of different -colors, and with gold and silver thread. Around the margin runs a string -of little steel plates, alternated with slight pendants of the same -metal. These, as the horse moves, jingle like a thousand mimic bells. - -The bride, also, comes in for her share in these nuptial preparations. -The bridegroom must present her with at least six entire changes of -raiment, nor forget, through any sentiment of delicacy, even the -chemise. Such an oversight might frustrate all his hopes; as it would be -construed into a personal indifference,—the last kind of indifference -which a California lady will forgive. He therefore hunts this article -with as much solicitude as the Peri the gift that was to unlock -Paradise. Having found six which are neither too full nor too slender, -he packs them in rose-leaves which seem to flutter like his own heart, -and sends them to the lady as his last bridal present. She might -naturally expect him to come next. - -The wedding-day having arrived, the two fine horses, procured for the -occasion, are led to the door, saddled, bridled, and pillioned. The -bridegroom takes up before him the godmother, and the godfather the -bride, and thus they gallop away to church. The priest, in his richest -robes, receives them at the altar, where they kneel, partake of the -sacrament, and are married. This over, they start on their return,—but -now the gentlemen change partners. The bridegroom, still on the pillion, -takes up before him his bride. With his right arm he steadies her on the -saddle, and in his left hand holds the reins. They return to the house -of the parents of the bride, where they are generally received with a -discharge of musketry. Two persons, stationed at some convenient place, -now rush out and seize him by his legs, and, before he has time to -dismount, deprive him of his spurs, which he is obliged to redeem with a -bottle of brandy. - -The married couple then enter the house, where the near relatives are -all waiting in tears to receive them. They kneel down before the parents -of the lady, and crave a blessing, which is bestowed with patriarchal -solemnity. On rising, the bridegroom makes a signal for the guests to -come in, and another for the guitar and harp to strike up. Then -commences the dancing, which continues often for three days, with only -brief intervals for refreshment, but none for slumber: the wedded pair -must be on their feet; their dilemma furnishes food for good-humored -gibes and merriment. Thus commences married life in California. This -stream, it is to be hoped, is much smoother than its fount. - - -TUESDAY, NOV. 24. Monterey has been for the last two days remarkably -quiet. The excitement occasioned by the battle on the Salinas has sunk -into a dead calm. They who fell have received Christian burial; and they -who survived have departed, some to find graves elsewhere. The great -tragedy of life here is so filled with incident that it requires no -stage effect. It is the visionary sword which eluded the grasp of -Macbeth, turned into flashing steel. - - -WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25. A Californian in trouble, often disregards the -suggestions of national pride and personal resentment, and seeks succor -where it can best be had. One of them who had been dangerously wounded -in the late engagement, came into Monterey this morning, and applied to -our surgeon to have the ball extracted from his hip. He seemed to think -that as he had been disabled by one American, it was only right and -proper he should be restored by another. He will then probably be off to -fight us again. Nor does this in him argue a want of gratitude. He seeks -the field to encounter his foes, much on the same principle that you do -the wood to hunt wild game. You level your rifle at the hawk, not -because he has injured you, but partly to exercise your skill, and -partly because he is a saucy fellow, screeching about and frightening -the other birds. I never yet saw the little king-bird chase a hawk, or -the sword-fish pursue a whale, without a sentiment of delight. Neither -have harmed me; but I hate all tyrants, whether they are on wings, fins, -or legs. - - -THURSDAY, NOV. 26. Some of the shopkeepers here have been so long in the -habit of smuggling under the former high rate of duties, that now they -hardly know how to give up the trick, though there is very little motive -for pursuing it. I caught a Frenchman to-day endeavoring to evade the -municipal duty on rum. He had a hundred subterfuges, and flew from one -to another, like a frightened catbird in the bush. His words fell so -thick and fast that they quite covered up his falsehoods; the leaves of -a wind-shaken tree in autumn conceal the nuts which fall with them to -the ground. It is idle to expect honesty in a man who resorts to it only -in the failure of his craft and cunning. His integrity is like the -religion of some sailors—breaking out in shipwreck. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - SAN JOSÉ GARRISONED.—A CALIFORNIA RAIN.—ESCAPE OF CONVICTS.—SHOOTING - EDWARDS.—TWO WASHERWOMEN.—DEATH OF MR. SARGENT.—INDIAN HENS.—HUNTING - CURLEW.—THE CALIFORNIA HORSE.—AN OLD EMIGRANT.—THE GRIZZLY BEAR. - -FRIDAY, NOV. 27. The prize brig Julia, Lieut. Selden commanding, arrived -here to-day from San Francisco. She left there the Savannah and Warren. -Fifty of the Savannah’s men had been sent by Capt. Mervin to San José, -under command of Lieut. Pinkney, where they will form a military post, -of sufficient strength, it is believed, to repel any hostile attacks, -and maintain the flag. The northern half of California is now pretty -safe; the ranchos may suffer from marauding parties of the enemy, and -some acts of violence be committed, but no important post can be -wrenched from our possession. In the south we hold San Diego, and have -an enemy in the field at los Angeles. They will probably break covert at -two or three different points; some will fly for Mexico, and some for -the sheltered coves of the San Joaquin. Let those catch them who can; I -would as soon track a chamois among the clefts and pinnacles of the -Alps. - - -SATURDAY, NOV. 28. It is now near the close of that month which in other -climes is often one of the most unpleasant in the year; but here it has -been one of unrivalled brilliancy. The sky has been almost without a -cloud, the winds have slept, and the soft air has lain on the landscape -like a golden slumber. Such is the tranquil beauty in which the vernal -year here sinks to repose. - - “Ah! ’twere a lot too bless’d, - Forever in thy color’d shades to stray; - Amid the kisses of the soft southwest - To rove and dream for aye; - - And leave the vain low strife - That makes men mad; the tug for wealth and power, - The passions and the cares that wither life, - And waste its little hour.” - BRYANT. - - -SUNDAY, NOV. 29. Two Californians called upon me to-day, to decide a -difficulty which had arisen between them in some money transactions. I -told them to call on some week-day—that I attended to no business -matters on the Sabbath. They apologized for interfering with my -_recreations_; I told them I had no recreations to be disturbed, but I -would not open my office for business on the Sabbath. Had I told them I -was going to a cock-fight, their only wonder would have been that they -had not heard of the sport; and both would have forgotten their business -in hunting their cash for the ring. Such is the moral obtuseness which a -perversion of the Sabbath induces. The heart on which the dews of this -sacred morn have never melted, will be desolate of moral verdure; though -here and there a leaf may spring like flowers in the cleft of a rock. - - -MONDAY, NOV. 30. We have had at last a true specimen of California -showers. The wind blew a gale from the south. Cloud on cloud was piled -into the zenith, till the whole dome of heaven was filled with -substantial darkness. The earth lay in an eclipse. A few heavy rolls of -thunder, and the rain fell in torrents; it lasted twelve hours. Every -roof and frowning cliff became a cascade. Down each ravine rolled an -exulting tide. The aquatic bird dashed onward in its foam to the sea. -Suddenly the wind veered into the west, and in a few moments the sky was -without a cloud. Field and forest flashed out in the splendors of the -sun; and on the soft wind came gushes of music from the wild-wood. -Instead of bleak November, you would have said: - - “Fairer and brighter spreads the reign of May; - The tresses of the woods - With the light dallying of the west wind play - And the full briming floods, - As gladly to their goal they run, - Hail the returning sun.” - PERCIVAL. - - -TUESDAY, DEC. 1. I was startled from my slumbers last night by the -report of a musket under my window; and, seizing my rifle, rushed to the -door but could perceive no one near, and only heard, in the darkness, -the sound of retreating footsteps. The mystery was soon explained: the -convicts had escaped from prison, and the sentry, posted near my -residence, had fired upon them as they rushed past. Several of the guard -went immediately in pursuit, and succeeded in apprehending two; but -seven others, favored by the darkness and storm of the night, had -cleared the town. - -It appeared, on investigation, that the sentry, posted at the prison, -had stolen the keys from the guardroom, where they were kept, unlocked -the outer and inner doors, and then run himself with the convicts. -Another sentry, by a preconcerted plan, had also joined them. Only one -prisoner remained in the apartment which had been unlocked. When asked -by me why _he_ did not run, he said he would not be seen running from -Tophet in such company. This was the funny fellow who stole the money. -One of those who escaped, was a great overgrown Californian—a monstrous -mass of flesh and bone. He had been shot in the leg in a previous fray, -and always affected the cripple, hobbling about on huge crutches, which -fairly bent under him. But last night, when his pursuers were close on -his trail, he bounded forward like a rabbit. Crutches, and all occasion -for them, had been left behind. You would have thought some shape of air -were flitting before you, but for the heavy puffs which heaved, at brief -intervals, from his laboring trunk. An innocent man escaping from -violence has often a hard time of it, but a felon escaping from justice -much harder; his guilty conscience will long keep the pursuer at his -heels. - - -WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2. A party, well mounted and armed, started this morning -in pursuit of the convicts. They overtook one of them and the two -sentries about twenty miles distant. The sentries still had their arms, -which they surrendered, and delivered themselves up without resistance. -The convict was shot down through the impetuosity of one of the party. -There is a degree of ferocity in shooting down an unarmed man at which -humanity revolts. We can hardly find an apology for it, even in the -brutal instincts of the savage. The fate of the two sentries concerned -in liberating the prisoners whom they were posted to guard, is -uncertain. If tried by a court-martial, their sentence will be death; if -delivered over to the civil authority, they will be sentenced to the -public works for a long term of years. - - -THURSDAY, DEC. 3. The convict Edwards, found with the two sentries, and -who had been shot after he had surrendered, was left in a dying -condition on the public road. My constable left this morning to find -him, but was unable to cross the Salinas river on account of the -freshet, and its extreme rapidity. His horse got frightened and refused -to swim him over. He fastened him on this side, and, divesting himself -of his hat, shoes, and coat, plunged in; but the current after sweeping -him down a mile or more, landed him on the same side from which he had -started. - -He is a man of great humanity as well as courage and resolution, and it -was not with his consent that Edwards was left at night-fall, wounded -and dying, exposed to a pitiless storm, and to be devoured by wild -beasts. It was inhuman to leave him in this condition, when he might -have been brought in, or taken to some house in the neighborhood. Those -in fault, now that the wrong has been done, and is irretrievable, would -gladly veil it from the public eye. There is a tongue in cruelty, which -those who inflict it can never silence. It will speak out and awaken -pangs in the most callous conscience. If we have no mercy on others, how -can we expect it for ourselves in that day when we most need it? - - “Teach me to feel another’s woe, - To hide the faults I see; - The mercy I to others show, - That mercy show to me.” - - -FRIDAY, DEC. 4. The moment a child is born on a farm in California, and -the nurse has had time to dress it, it is given to a man on horseback, -who, with its future godfather and godmother, ride post-haste with it to -some mission, and present it to a priest for baptism. This ceremony -concluded, the party, full of glee, start on their return; and the -little new-comer may now, perhaps, rest a week or two before he starts -on another excursion; but after that, hardly a day will elapse without -his being on horseback. He literally rides from his cradle to his grave. -Thus, by the time a boy is ten or twelve years of age, he becomes an -expert rider, is devoted to the saddle, and looks upon pedestrial motion -as a contemptible way of getting through the world. He would sooner -travel a hundred miles on horseback than ten on foot, and connect less -fatigue and hardship with the result. Most of his labors, too, are on -the saddle. He has a farm of twenty or thirty miles to ride over; vast -wheat-fields to survey, and, perhaps, ten thousand head of cattle to -keep from straying. He would have but little time for repose if he went -by steam. - - -SATURDAY, DEC. 5. Of all the women I have had to deal with here the -washerwomen are the most unmanageable. Two of them entered my office -to-day as full of fight as the feline antagonists of Kilkenny. It seems -they had been out washing in one of the little pools created by the -recent showers, when one had taken that part of the margin previously -occupied by the other. War offensive and defensive immediately -commenced. One drew a knife, which had a blade two mortal inches in -length, and the other a sharp ivory bodkin. But what their weapons -wanted in terror and strength their ungentle anger supplied. - -At last one cried out, “the alcalde;” the other echoed it, and so they -both rushed down to the office to have their difficulties settled. Both -of course commenced talking at the same time; and their stories ran -together like two conflicting rivulets forced into the same channel. -There was plenty of tumult and bubble. When these had a little subsided, -I began cautiously to angle for the truth—a difficult trout to catch in -such waters. But one darter after another was captured, till I had -enough to form some opinion of those that had escaped. These we -discussed till bitter feeling, like biting hunger, became appeased. The -rest was very easily settled. Both went away declaring either margin of -the pool good enough, and each urging on the other the first choice. - - How gentle is forgiveness! and how sweet - To feel the severed heart flow back again - To one we loved, estranged by hasty words! - - -SUNDAY, DEC. 6. Mr. Sargent, who came out in the Congress in the -capacity of clerk to the purser, and who had been left here several -weeks since for the restoration of his mind and health, was missed from -his quarters on Tuesday last. He has been laboring for some time under -mental aberrations which wear a reasoning show, and which alarm only the -close observer. His amiable disposition and exemplary life exempted him -from all reproach, and have excited a general sympathy and concern for -his uncertain fate. He was last seen winding his way through the forest -which skirts Monterey, towards a ledge of rocks which overhangs the -boiling surf of the bay. I have traversed the beach for miles, and -watched each swell as it rolled in, to see if it bore on its crest aught -like a human form. But nothing came to the shore or eddied in the surge, -to resolve mystery and give a painful certainty to doubt. The sea itself -is an awful mystery, and becomes doubly so when the fate of one we loved -is locked in the tongueless silence of its unfathomed depths. - - The waves tell not the fate of those - On whom their hasty waters close; - But deeper still their secrets spread, - That travel with their drifting dead. - - -MONDAY, DEC. 7. The simplest article for the table is often beyond the -reach of your money here. I have found it so difficult to procure a few -eggs, when required, that I have at last gone to keeping hens. I -purchased six of an Indian woman for six dollars, and a rooster for -fifty cents. On asking the woman why she charged only half price for the -rooster, she replied that the fellow laid no eggs, and as for his -crowing that did nobody any good. Sounder reasons than these could not -be furnished in a much higher place than a hencoop. The habits of these -hens are a little singular. They are perfectly tame, and are as much at -home in the kitchen as the cook. They never trouble themselves much -about a nest, but deposite their eggs where they find it most -convenient; one takes the tea-tray, another the ironing-table, a third -the oven, and there is one that always gets into the cradle. She is not -at all disturbed by the tossing of the little fellow on whose premises -she is obtruding. Neither she nor any of her feathered sisters cackle -when they leave the nest. They don’t seem to think that any thing worth -making an ado about has come to pass. The rooster, it is true, perks up -a little, and perhaps feels a feather taller. But this is the vanity of -his sex. There are a great many who crow over what others have done. - - -TUESDAY, DEC. 8. The banditti, that have hovered for some weeks past in -the vicinity of Monterey, have made it unsafe to venture out on our -hunting excursions, unless in sufficient numbers to repel an attack. But -last evening, the want of exercise, and of something to relieve the -endless monotony of beef on the table, induced me forth. I took my boy, -and put into his hands one of Colt’s revolving rifles, and took myself -the fowling-piece. We had hardly got a mile from town, when two horsemen -broke from the covert of the woods, and dashed down in our direction. I -had but little more than time to exchange pieces with my boy, when they -were within rifle shot. Their garb showed them to be Californians. My -heart beat a great deal louder than usual. But they suddenly wheeled, -and soon disappeared behind one of the hills which look out on the bay. -They had no arms, except pistols at the saddle-bow. Whether they had -hostile intentions, I know not: their movements had very much that -appearance; and I must say I never before experienced so fully those -feelings men describe in going into battle. They are not fear so much as -an intensity of excitement, which seems as if it would suffocate life: -it is dispelled with the first gun. I had once occasion to repel an -exasperated Spaniard with a pistol, and though I had anticipated his -attack, was prepared for it, and believed that the aim of the pistol -would make him sheath his knife; still there was for a moment an -intensity of feeling that would, if prolonged, destroy one. We continued -our hunting, but changed our ground to the vicinity of the sea, and -brought home a dozen curlew, which almost rival in flavor the -canvas-back duck. - - -WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9. The horses of California are of a hardy nature; and -it is well for them that they are, considering the inhuman manner in -which they are generally treated by the natives. If a man wants to ride -forty or fifty miles from his residence, he mounts his horse, and spurs -off upon the gallop. On arriving at the place of his destination, he -ties him to a post, where he stands two or three days, waiting for his -master. During this time he is not once fed, and is quite fortunate if -he gets a swallow of water. At last, his rider comes, mounts him, and he -takes him back again at the same free and easy gait with which he first -started. This, of course, is confined to the summer season, when the -grass has the most substance and nutriment: still it is almost -incredible. Besides the weight of his heavy rider, the horse generally -carries fifty or sixty pounds in the gear of his saddle, and double this -in a soaking rain. It requires two large tanned ox hides to fit out a -Californian saddle; then add to this, the wooden stirrups, three inches -thick, the saddle-tree, with its stout iron rings and buckles, a pair of -goat-skins across the pommel, holsters and pistols, and spurs at the -heels of the rider, weighing from four to six pounds, and we have some -idea of what a Californian horse has to carry. Still he is cheerful and -spirited, and never flags till nature sinks with exhaustion. A man who -can abuse such an animal, ought to be bitted and saddled himself. - - -THURSDAY, DEC. 10. The old as well as the young are coming over the -mountains. I had an emigrant to dine with me to-day, who has recently -arrived, and who is seventy-six years of age. His locks are as free of -gray hairs as those of a child, and his eye still flashes with the fires -of youth. He is among the volunteers, and you may see him every day on a -spirited horse, with a rifle at his saddle-bow. He has four sons with -Col. Fremont. They enlisted before they had time to unpack their -saddles, and have with them the remnants of the biscuit and cheese which -they brought from the United States. I asked the old man what could -induce him at his age to come to California. He said his children were -coming, and so he determined to come too. I asked him if he had no -compunction in taking up arms against the inhabitants the moment of his -arrival. He said he had Scripture example for it. The Israelites took -the promised land of the East by arms, and the Americans must take the -promised land of the West in the same way. I told him that would do, if -he could show the same high commission. But I find this kind of parallel -running in the imagination of all the emigrants. They seem to look upon -this beautiful land as their own Canaan, and the motley race around them -as the Hittites, the Hivites, and Jebusites, whom they are to drive out. -But they have gone at it with other weapons than ram’s horns, except as -powder-flasks. - - -FRIDAY, DEC. 11. The grizzly bear is the most formidable and ferocious -animal in California; and yet, with all this ferocity of disposition, -rarely attacks a man unless surprised or molested. The fellow never lies -in wait for his victim. If the hunter invades his retreat or disputes -his path he will fight, but otherwise contents himself with the immunity -which he finds in the wildness of his home and the savage grandeur of -his nature. It is never safe to attack him with one rifle; for if you -fail to hit him in a vital part, he is on you in the twinkling of an -eye. Your only possibility of escape is up a near tree, too slender for -his giant grasp; and then there is something extremely awkward in being -on the top of a tree with such a savage monster at its root. How long he -will remain there you cannot tell; it may be a day, and it may be a -week. Your antagonist is too shrewd to hand you up your rifle, or let -you come down to get it. You are his prisoner, more safely lodged than -in a dungeon, and he will set you at liberty when it suits him. He -sleeps not himself at his post; day and night his great flashing eyes -are fastened upon you. The lyre of Orpheus may have lulled to sleep the -sentinel of Hades, but its magic tones have never charmed to slumber the -sentinel of the California forest. - -The full-grown California bear measures from eight to ten feet in -length, and four or five in girth. His strength is tremendous, his -embrace death. Had the priest of Apollo fallen into his folds, he would -have perished without any of those protracted agonies which the -sympathetic muse has wailed round the world. Nature has thrown over him -a coat of mail, soft indeed, but impervious to the storm and the arrow -of the Indian. The fur, which is of a dark brown color, is nearly a span -long, and when the animal is enraged each particular hair stands on end. -His food in the summer is chiefly berries, but he will now and then, on -some of his feast days, slaughter a bullock. In winter he lives on -acorns, which abound in these forests. He is an excellent climber, and -will ascend a large oak with the rapidity of a tar up the shrouds of his -ship. In procuring his acorns, when on the tree, he does not manifest -his usual cunning. Instead of threshing them down like the Indian, he -selects a well-stocked limb, throws himself upon its extremity, and -there hangs swinging and jerking till the limb gives way, and down they -come, branch, acorns, and bear together. On these acorns he becomes -extremely fat, yielding ten or fifteen gallons of oil, which is said to -be sufficiently pungent and nutritive as a tonic to tuft a statue’s -marble head. - -The she bear has one peculiarity that must puzzle even the philosophical -inquirer. As soon as she discovers herself with young, she ceases to -roam the forest, and modestly retires from the presence of others, to -some secluded grotto. There she remains, while her male companion, with -a consideration that does honor to his sex, brings her food. She -reappears at length with her twin cubs, and woe to the luckless wight -who should attempt to injure or molest them. They are guarded by an -affection and ferocity with which it would be madness to trifle. For -them she hunts the berries, and dislodges the acorns. Her maternal care -is a beautiful trait in her savage nature, and - - “Shines like a good deed in a naughty world.” - -[Illustration: Burt, sc.] - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - LITTLE ADELAIDA.—COL. FREMONT’S BATTALION.—SANTIAGO IN - LOVE.—SENTIMENTS OF AN OLD CALIFORNIAN.—THE PRIZE - JULIA.—FANDANGO.—WINTER CLIMATE.—PATRON SAINT OF CALIFORNIA.—HABITS - OF THE NATIVES.—INSURRECTION IN THE NORTH.—DRAMA IN A - CHURCH.—POSITION OF COM. STOCKTON. - -SATURDAY, DEC. 12. Our paper, the only one published in California, made -its hebdomadal appearance again to-day. It is a little fellow, but is -half filled or more with original matter. A paper is much like an -infant; the smaller it is, the more anxious the attentions which it -requires. My partner promised to stick by me, but has been the greater -part of the time since its commencement on the bay of San Francisco. He -went there to locate a city, but if rumor speaks truly, has gone off in -quest of his Aphrodite before he builds her shrine. I suppose he thinks -there is but little use in a cage without a bird, but there is still -less in a bird without a cage. Birds, however, always pair before they -rear their nests. So that my partner is after all in nature’s great -line, however wide it may run from the columns of the Californian. - - -SUNDAY, DEC. 13. I miss very much the light step and laughing eye of my -little friend Adelaida, the infant daughter of our consul, Mr. Larkin. -She was a sweet child, and beguiled with her gladness, many a moment -that had else passed less lightly. But a change came over her -brightness, an eclipse whose shadow passes not. We watched its dim veil, -and idly dreamed it might still pass, when its faint, inwoven light was -lost in spreading darkness. She passed away like a bird from its clouded -bower; and though her flight lay over dark waters, she now sings in the -purple land of the blest. There no shadows fall, and death has no -trophies. One eternal spring, with its sparkling founts and fragrant -blossoms, reigns through the vernal year. The soft airs as they stir, -wake the strings of invisible lyres; and the tender leaves whisper in -music. There walk the pure; there survive the meek who wept with us -here. They wait to welcome our flight to their joys and sinless repose. -O that I had wings like the dove that I might fly away and be at rest! - - -MONDAY, DEC. 14. It is now two weeks since Col. Fremont broke up his -encampment in the vicinity of San Juan, and commenced his march south. -His progress has been retarded by a succession of heavy rains, and it is -feared that some of the rivers which he must cross, swollen by torrents -from the mountains, have been rendered impassable. His horses may -perhaps swim them, but his artillery and ammunition must be floated over -on rafts. The construction of these, especially where the material is -not at hand, will occasion long and impatient detentions. The condition -of the roads, soaked as they are with rain, will still further delay his -progress; still, with all these drawbacks, we believe he will reach his -destination. - -He moves upon no idle or vague object. The great body of the -Californians now in arms are at the capital of the southern department, -waiting his hostile arrival. They intend to give him battle, and redeem, -if possible, some of the laurels which they lost in their precipitate -retreat before Com. Stockton. Their forces outnumber his two or three to -one; they excel them as horsemen, but fall far short of them in the -dexterous use of the rifle. They want that coolness, deliberation, -self-reliance, and resolute firmness which appertain to the character of -the Americans. We wait the issue of the encounter with a profound -interest. Com. Stockton may, perhaps, march from San Pedro and capture -los Angeles, as he has done once before; but with the country around in -the possession of the enemy, and the cattle driven off upon distant -plains, and the wheat and flour removed into the gorges of the -mountains, he could not subsist his forces. So at least it would seem; -but we shall see. It was the prospect of famine that drove Napoleon from -Moscow. - - -WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16. An old Californian, much respected for his -intelligence and patriotic virtues, sent, a few days since, a -communication to our paper, written in good, vigorous Castilian, and -which will find an echo in the heart of all the considerate portion of -the community. He opens his article in these words:— - -“The political aspirants in California have inflicted upon her since -1836, only a continued succession of evils. They have seized all the -national property and all the missions, as though they were their own -patrimony. These riches they have distributed with a prodigal hand among -their satellites; a multitude of officers were created, for whom there -was no employment; and military grades established more abundantly than -in Paraguay, though with this difference in the result. Doctor Francia, -when he died, left eight millions of dollars in the public coffers; -while the military chieftains in this country, at the close of their -brief career, have left the country overwhelmed in debt. And now, to -gratify their infatuated ambition, and secure further plunder, have -again hoisted the Mexican flag, which they have long hated and cursed. -The rash step taken by these men at the town of the Angeles has only -compromised their brethren, and ruined many families. The wealth of this -country consists in cattle and agriculture; to maintain the one and -carry on the other, horses are indispensable; but these frantic men have -driven off the horses and cattle to meet the exigencies of war. They -have given their afflicted country her death-stroke, merely because they -are not permitted to retain those offices which they are not capable of -filling. And such outrageous ambition is called by them, love of -country! If there ever existed a spark of patriotism in their hearts, -they would never have attempted the slightest revolutionary act. They -would have seen and felt that it could end only in general disaster and -ruin.” - -Thus writes an old Californian, with the frosts of seventy winters on -his head. He understands the condition of this country, and the -character of her military chieftains, and has the moral courage to tell -the world what he thinks. - - -THURSDAY, DEC. 17. The United States brig Julia, a prize to the Cyane, -left our harbor this morning for the southern coast. She is a beautiful -vessel, rides the water like a duck, and sails with the speed of the -wind. Her masts rake to an angle that might almost startle a Baltimore -clipper. She is commanded by Lieut. Selden, an officer to whose -professional attainments she may be safely confided. She goes south to -communicate with Col. Fremont at the Rincon, a narrow pass below Santa -Barbara. The colonel’s route will lead him through this pass, which lies -hemmed in between the bluff of a mountain range and the dashing surge of -the sea. A small force can defend it against immense odds. Its -advantages are well known to the Californians. They have often in their -previous revolutions made a stand here, though they have never made it -quite a Thermopylæ. Should they post themselves in this pass, the -well-trained gun of the Julia may dislodge them, or, at least, act in -concert with Col. Fremont on his arrival. A man wants the eyes of Argus -in this California war. - - -FRIDAY, DEC. 18. The ladies of Monterey have so many relatives, near and -remote, involved in the issue of the war, that they have had but little -heart for their customary amusements. But time, which assuages grief, -has slowly quelled a sense of peril, and they are gradually coming back -into their more gay and social element. The lively tones of their -guitars salute you from their corridors, and often the fandango shakes -its light slipper in the saloon. It has been customary here for a person -giving a dance to apply to the alcalde for a permit, which was never -refused, and, which always brought to the purse of this functionary -three dollars in the shape of a fee. A similar application was made to -me a few days since. To grant it would be to sanction the fandango; to -refuse it would be an arbitrary exercise of power. Tack which way I -would, I must run on a rock, so I determined not to tack at all, and -told the applicant I had nothing to do with his fiddles, fandangoes, or -fees, so long as the public peace was not disturbed. - - -SATURDAY, DEC. 19. The season is now verging towards mid-winter, and we -have not yet experienced the first wrinkling frost. The hills and -valleys, since the recent rains, are mantled with fresh verdure, and -here and there the violet opens its purple eye to the sun. The children -are out at play, as in June; their glancing feet are unshod, and their -muslin slips but half conceal their pulsing limbs. Even the old men, -from whom the ethereal fires have escaped, are abroad in the same -garments which covered them in midsummer. Such is the climate of a -California winter, or, at least, its interludes, and these will continue -to visit us like sunbows between the showering clouds. - - -MONDAY, DEC. 21. The house of the humbler Californian has often but one -apartment, and is without fireplace or floor. Here a family of ten or -fifteen tumble in and sleep on the ground. If they have guests, which is -often the case, they turn in among the rest. The thicker they lie, of -course, the less covering they need. The walls of this promiscuous -dormitory are formed of rough piles, driven in the ground, just -sufficiently to support a roof that is thatched with flag. Through the -chinked piles the night-wind whistles in gusty glee; through the roof -the star-light falls in broken flakes. The shower-cloud often pauses -over it, and, as if in wanton mischief, empties its floating cistern. -But little heed the sleepers these freaks of the elements: they have -been familiar with them from their birth. The only beings that seem at -all disturbed are the fleas; but they still manage to dodge the -shower-drops and secure their nocturnal repast. Those on whom they -commit their depredations spring no rattle, raise no cry of alarm. The -thief is there, but they know it not. Habit has exempted them from even -a perception of their wrongs. Happy flea of California! - - When night-birds fill with waking numbers - The star-lit pauses in the storm, - He deftly springs where Beauty slumbers, - And feasts on her seraphic form. - - She little knows who shares her pallet, - Has heard no lover lift the latch, - And, waking, only hears the ballet - Danced by rain-drops on her thatch. - - Were all our ills which others tell us, - And all that darken fancy’s dream, - Confined to those we knew befell us, - How few our real woes would seem. - - -TUESDAY, DEC. 22. A courier arrived last evening from the north, with -the startling intelligence that forty or fifty mounted Californians had -sallied from the hills in the vicinity of San Francisco, and captured -several Americans; among them Mr. Bartlett, chief magistrate of that -jurisdiction. Capt. Weber, as soon as the news reached him on his -station at San José, started with fifty mounted volunteers in pursuit; -and fifty more have left Monterey this morning under the command of -Capt. Maddox. One party is to come down upon them from the north, and -the other is to cut off their retreat to the south. The plan is well -laid, and we shall know in a few days if it has been executed with any -decisive results. - - -WEDNESDAY, DEC. 23. It becomes us to keep a pretty sharp look-out here, -or another hostile party may take advantage of the absence of the forces -under Capt. Maddox, and pay us a flying visit. No one here can tell when -these visits are to be expected; when you feel most secure, they are, -perhaps, nearest the door. In all other lands, war bears on its front -such a flaring banner that you see its terrific insignia long before you -feel its presence; but here, it comes like the descent of the eagle from -his mountain eyrie—you hear not his pinions till they beat the air in -his reascending: you look for the milk-white lamb that frolicked in your -flock, and it is gone. Peril here, like death, borrows half its terrors -from the secrecy in which it wraps its footsteps. - - -THURSDAY, DEC. 24. As soon as the sun had gone down, and twilight had -spread its sable shadows over the hills and habitations of Monterey, the -festivities of Christmas Eve commenced. The bells rang out a merry -chime; the windows were filled with streaming light; bonfires on plain -and steep sent up their pyramids of flame; and the sky-rocket burst high -over all in showering fire. Children shouted; the young were filled with -smiles and gladness; and the aged looked as if some dark cloud had been -lifted from the world. - -While the bonfires still blazed high, the crowd moved towards the -church; the ample nave was soon filled. Before the high altar bent the -Virgin Mother, in wonder and love, over her new-born babe; a company of -shepherds entered in flowing robes, with high wands garnished with -silken streamers, in which floated all the colors of the rainbow, and -surmounted with coronals of flowers. In their wake followed a hermit, -with his long white beard, tattered missal, and his sin-chastising lash. -Near him figured a wild hunter, in the skins of the forest, bearing a -huge truncheon, surmounted by an iron rim, from which hung in jingling -chime fragments of all sonorous metals. Then came, last of all, the Evil -One, with horned frontlet, disguised hoof, and robe of crimson flame. -The shepherds were led on by the angel Gabriel, in purple wings and -garments of light. They approached the manger, and, kneeling, hymned -their wonder and worship in a sweet chant, which was sustained by the -rich tones of exulting harps. The hermit and hunter were not among them; -they had been beguiled by the Tempter, and were lingering at a game of -dice. The hermit seemed to suspect that all was not right, and read his -missal vehemently in the pauses of the game; but the hunter was troubled -by none of these scruples, staked his soul, and lost! Emboldened by his -success, the Tempter shoved himself among the shepherds; but here he -encountered Gabriel, who knew him of old. He quailed under the eye of -that invincible angel, and fled his presence. The hermit and hunter, -once more disenthralled, paid their penitential homage. The shepherds -departed, singing their hosannas, while the voices of the whole assembly -rose in the choral strain. - - -FRIDAY, DEC. 25. At our last advices, Com. Stockton was at San Diego; -the Congress and Cyane had been warped into the harbor, and a large -portion of the officers and crews were in camp near the town. The -Californians were in possession of the country, and often presented a -formidable force on the surrounding hills. They were well mounted, and -had it in their power to dash down at night on the camp of the -commodore. Still, it was of the utmost importance to maintain this -position; but aggressive movements were deemed here impracticable. The -idea has never been seriously entertained here, that the -commander-in-chief could march a body of seamen and marines, drilled -into an infantry, to los Angeles, in the face of the flying-artillery of -the Californians; and still less that he could subsist his forces there -with all the resources of the country in the hands of the enemy. The war -here is not on a great scale, but it impinges, at certain points, with -terrific energy. It is not always the magnitude of the field and of the -interests at issue, which test most severely the resources of the -general. This California war has to be carried on by means which -requires consummate tact, coolness, and courage. A few weeks more will -decide the fate of the southern department, and with that, the whole -tide of affairs here. That department lost in the pending engagement, -our northern positions will be put in imminent peril. It is an idle -dream to suppose the Californians will not fight; give them faithful and -competent leaders, and they evince a dashing bravery which lifts them -immeasurably above contempt. He who presumes on their timidity will -learn his error when it may be too late. - - -SATURDAY, DEC. 26. It is an old custom here for the shepherds, when they -have performed their sacred drama in the church, to repeat it, during -the holydays, in the residences of some of the citizens. One of the -first personages to whom they pay their respects is the chief magistrate -of the jurisdiction; I was accordingly saluted this evening with their -festive compliment. - -The large hall, occupying the centre of the building, was sufficiently -ample to accommodate them, and some fifty gentlemen and ladies as -spectators. They brought their own orchestral accompaniment, which -consisted entirely of violins and guitars. Their prelude had so many -sweet harmonies that the listener determined to listen on. The dialogue -and chant of the shepherds would have awakened their appropriate -associations, but for the obtrusions of the hermit, hunter, and devil, -who now gave much freer scope to their characteristic peculiarities than -they did in church. The hermit forgot that his lash was intended for -himself, and began to use it on others. The hunter left off snaring -birds, and commenced setting springes to catch Satan; but his intended -victim not only managed to escape, but to decoy the hunter himself into -his own net. The hermit tried to disenchant him through the power of his -missal, but this having no effect, he threatened to chastise the subtle -author of the mischief, but wanted some one to seize and hold him, for -fear his horn, hoof, or tail might come in conflict with the life-glass. -During this side-acting, the dialogue and chant of the shepherds went -on, though it would be difficult to conceive of any two things more wide -asunder in their spirit and effect. The whole was concluded with the -riata dance, by the shepherds, who executed its airy movements with a -lightness and precision of step that would have thrown enchantment on -any occasion less sacred in its associations than the present. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - DAY OF THE SANTOS INNOCENTES.—LETTING OFF A LAKE.—ARRIVAL OF THE - DALE WITH HOME LETTERS.—THE DEAD YEAR.—NEWLY-ARRIVED - EMIGRANTS.—EGG-BREAKING FESTIVITIES.—CONCEALMENT OF CHAVES.—PLOT - TO CAPTURE THE ALCALDE. - -SUNDAY, DEC. 27. The dramatic shepherds have just passed my door on -their way to the mansion of Gen. Castro, where they are to perform their -pastorals. Their drama is ill suited to the sacredness of the Sabbath: -its grotesque appendages, in the person of the wild hunter and -apocalyptic dragon, are but little short of a burlesque on the -devotional chant of the shepherds. Indeed, there is not a truth -connected with man’s redemption which can derive any force from scenic -representation. Every passage in the life of the Redeemer, every act -that he performed, and every precept that he inculcated, are invested -with a solemnity which should exempt them from the attempts of dramatic -art. They have a significancy and force which transcend the evanescent -triumphs of the stage. The tragedy of the Cross stands alone; no human -passion can approach it; it is shielded in its sorrows by the divinity -of the sufferer; its love overwhelmed angels; its agony awoke the dead. - - -MONDAY, DEC. 28. This is the festival day of the Santos Innocentes, and -is devoted by the lovers of fun to every kind of harmless imposition on -the simplicity of others. The utmost ingenuity is exercised in -borrowing, for every article lent has to be redeemed. Although aware of -this, still, in a moment of forgetfulness, one succeeded in borrowing my -spurs. A gentleman, who has lived here from his boyhood, lent his cloak, -another his saddle and bridle, and a third his guitar. Two ladies -performed feats that would have been difficult on any day. One borrowed -money of a broker, and the other a rosary of a priest. It is rumored, -but not credited, that a client has induced his lawyer to allow his case -to be amicably adjusted; that a patient has actually persuaded his -physician to permit the aid of nature in throwing off his disease; and -that a customer has made a shopkeeper confess an imperfection in his -wares. It is said, but doubted, that an old Spanish hidalgo, after being -told that his son is engaged in marriage to a peasant girl, will -probably sleep before he disinherits him. It is also said, though few -believe it, that a wife, whose husband is going to sea, has consented -that he shall take the family breeches with him. It is further stated, -but on no good authority, that a political partizan has hesitated about -voting for his candidate on account of his having been once sentenced to -the penitentiary for sheep-stealing. Several other rumors are afloat, -but they are not credited. One is, that a disappointed lover has -persuaded himself that his suit has been rejected without any parental -interference; another is, that a young collegian has written a letter to -his grandmother without quoting a word of Greek; another is, that a -young clergyman has composed an entire sermon without anything about - - “Fixed fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute.” - -Another is, that a man of giant intellect and profound erudition has -selected as his life-partner a woman of sense; another, that a lady who -has had an offer of marriage and rejected it, has kept it to herself; -another, that an old bachelor has come to the conclusion that he is less -captivating with the girls than he was when younger; another, that a -young military officer has taken tea with his aunt without having on his -regimentals; that a midshipman has entertained a lady fifteen minutes -without a gale or disaster; that a sexton had been seen shedding a tear; -that a Mormon has confessed Joe Smith’s Bible a little less authentic, -from the absence of the original plates; that a Millerite has forgiven a -debt, on account of the nearness of the last conflagration; that a -mesmerite, on account of the death-intelligence conveyed by his -clairvoyant, has gone into mourning; that an Englishman has been seen -with a smile on his countenance without a plum-pudding in his stomach; -that an American has said grace at his table without stopping to -expectorate; that a Frenchman has stopped his prattle before death had -stopped his breath; and, finally, that a new moon, with a drooping horn, -has been followed by a dry month. - -While these incredible rumors were afloat, the public ear was startled -with the intelligence that a large ship had been driven on the rocks, -just behind Point Pinos. The whole population rushed at once in that -direction,—the women to see her go to pieces, the men to seize her -cargo, and a widow, who has a son at sea, to save the sailors. But the -ship proved to be the “Flying Dutchman,” with phantom hull and masts, -and sails through whose gossamer the setting sun poured its effulgent -beam. Some laughed as the spectral fabric dissolved, some grieved in -silence over their loss, and one old wrecker hung himself with -disappointment. Thus ended the day of the Santos Innocentes. - - -TUESDAY, DEC. 29. During the rains which prevail at this season of the -year, a multitude of small streams rush from the hills which encircle -Monterey into the lagoon which lies in the vicinity of the town. This -natural basin, replenished by these foaming rivulets, presented this -week quite a deep and spacious lake, and began to threaten with -inundation the buildings upon its margin. As it lay several feet above -the level of the sea, with only an intervening ridge of sand, it -occurred to me that it would be a good scheme to cut a channel between -the two. The work was easily accomplished; but my channel of two feet -soon widened to forty, and the whole lake came rushing down in a -tremendous torrent. It swept every thing before it, and carried two -boats, which lay on the beach, so far out to sea that they have not been -seen or heard of since. Even the sea-birds, that have dashed about here -among the breakers ever since they got out of their eggs, seemed -frightened, and took wing. Their screams came back on the wind like the -howling of wild beasts on a sinking wreck. The lake disappeared; its -waters, where the stars had mirrored themselves in tranquil beauty, went -off to join the roaring ocean, and left on its sandy bottom only a few -floundering fish. How tame is a lake when its bottom is laid bare! It is -like the heart of a coquette when the illusions of love have fled. - - -WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30. The phantom ship, which rounded into our harbor a -few weeks since, and departed without token or sign, turns out to be a -good sound oak reality, in the shape of a sloop-of-war, honored with the -name of Dale, bearing the stars and stripes, and commanded by Wm. W. -M‘Kean. She sailed from New York on the 6th of June, and has stopped on -her way out at Rio de Janeiro, Valparaiso, Callao, Payta, and Mazatlan. -She has brought a large mail for the Pacific squadron. What an eager -breaking of seals there will be! - -I am indebted to her for a large package of letters, and for the receipt -of one which was written several weeks after she sailed. It was -dispatched alone to Jamaica, thence by the mail steamer to Chagres, -thence over the Isthmus to Panama, and thence by the steamer to Callao, -and then to Lima. Here it came into the care of my esteemed friend, Mr. -M‘Call, who forwarded it by the Dale. It brings me the intelligence of -the birth of a son, and of the safety and happiness of a young mother -over her first-born. Had this letter, in one of the many mischances to -which it was exposed, failed of reaching me, months might have passed -away without any intelligence to relieve my solicitude. There is a -Providence, whose care extends to the condition of each one. Not a -sparrow falls to the ground without his notice. But a long interval of -waning moons must pass, and half the earth’s circuit be traversed, -before I can see that infant being whose dawning light has shed a -gladness on my hearth. In this slow lapse of time what changes may -betide, what fearful shadows may fall! - - “My child, my child! when I shall reach my door, - If heavy looks should tell me thou art dead, - It seems as I should struggle to believe - Thou wert a spirit, to this nether sphere - Sentenced for some more venial crime to grieve; - Didst sigh, then spring to meet Heaven’s quick reprieve, - While we wept idly o’er thy little bier!” COLERIDGE. - - -THURSDAY, DEC. 31. Com. Stockton is still encamped near San Diego, -expecting to march in a few days for the town of the Angels. He has -under his command detachments from the crews of the Congress, Cyane, and -Portsmouth, with some thirty volunteers, and has with him several pieces -of artillery. His plan evidently is, to attack the position of the -Californians from the south at the same time that Col. Fremont comes -down upon them from the north. Hemmed in by these encountering forces, -they will be obliged to surrender, or attempt a disastrous flight. -Public expectation is on the tip-toe to learn the result; but several -days must elapse before it can be known here. - - -FRIDAY, JAN. 1. Last night, while the sentinel stars were on their -mid-watch, the old year resigned its sceptre, and departed amid the -wailing hours to join the pale shadows of the mighty past. The strong -winds, awaking in grief, shook the forest leaves from their slumbers, -and poured from cloud and cliff their stormy dirge. - - “As an earthquake rocks a corse - In its coffin in the clay, - So white Winter, that rough nurse, - Rocks the death-cold year to-day: - Solemn hours! wail aloud, - For your mother in her shroud.” SHELLEY. - -But nature never leaves the throne of time vacant. An heir to her wide -domain was invested at once with the imperial purple, while woods and -water-falls, the organ cloud and the sounding sea, sung his coronation -hymn. The great tide of time moved on as before, rolling in events -pregnant with the fate of nations. But men, blind to these momentous -issues, hail the eventful year—in which perhaps their own coffins -swing—with egg-nog! Out on their frivolity! Their mirth is the bubble -that paints the rainbow on Niagara’s thundering verge. - - -SUNDAY, JAN. 3. The deceased year is in its grave, but its deeds remain. -But few of them, it is true, are to be found in the archives of earth; -they have been sealed up and transmitted, by invisible hands, to -Heaven’s high chancery. There they will remain, above the ranges of time -and the wreck of worlds. When the sun’s last ray has expired, every line -and letter will flash out in characters of living light. It will then be -seen that our minutest action here touches a string that will vibrate -forever in the soul; and that issues of happiness or woe, vast as -eternity, take their rise in the silent pulses of a hidden thought. We -live between two worlds; every impulse we take from this throws an -action into the infinitude of the next; we follow it ourselves soon and -fast: once beyond the dim veil, we return no more; not a whisper comes -back to those we love. We have gone like a shooting-star over the steep -verge of night. - - -MONDAY, JAN. 4. It is mid-winter, and yet the robins are all out, -singing as if the buds of May were bursting around them. You miss none -of your favorites in meadow or grove. Hill and vale are echoing with -their wild numbers. This is not a gush of music that is to be followed -soon by silence; it is not an interval of sunlight that is to be -succeeded by cloud and hail. All these charms belong to the season, and -make you forget that it is winter. You look to the sun, and see that he -circles indeed far to the south; but you look around you and find the -sparkling streams unfettered by frost, and hear the whistle of the -ploughman as he breaks the glebe. You say to yourself, there is no -winter in California. - - -TUESDAY, JAN. 5. Many of the emigrants who have recently arrived, are -now with Col. Fremont at the south. By enlisting in this campaign, they -will have an opportunity of seeing every important part of California, -and will be able to locate themselves with some confidence in their -selection of grounds. This will compensate them in some degree in -foregoing their first year’s tillage. Besides, they generally arrive -here with very little means beyond their own enterprise. They are now -receiving twenty-five dollars a month, and have but few temptations for -spending it; they will consequently find themselves in funds, small to -be sure; but there is a period in almost every man’s life when a penny -takes the importance of a pound. “It is more difficult,” said the late -Stephen Girard, “to make the first hundred dollars, than the next -thousand.” But with all due deference to that eminent economist, I have -found it extremely difficult to make either, and when made, still more -difficult to keep it. It has slipped out of my hands like a squirming -eel in its slime. But this has very little to do with the emigrants. -They will, it is hoped, soon be able to return to their families, who -are now scattered about in the missions, and in shanties on the -Sacramento, without the comforts of life. They have suffered greatly -from being massed together in these temporary lodgments; and have often, -no doubt, wished themselves where they came from. The pioneers of -civilization have always a rough path. They force the bear from his -covert, not to make room for a palace, but that they may themselves take -his jungle. - - -WEDNESDAY, JAN. 6. As I was sitting in the house of an old Californian -to-day, conversing very quietly about the condition of the country, I -felt something break on my head, and, starting around, discovered two -large black eyes, lighted with their triumph. It flashed upon me, that -the annual egg-breaking festival here had commenced. The rules of this -frolic do not allow you to take offence, whatever may be your age or the -gravity of your profession: you have only one alternative, and that is, -to retaliate if you can. You have not to encounter the natural contents -of the egg—these are blown out; and the shell is filled with water, -scented with cologne, or lavender; or more often, with gold tinsel, and -flashing paper, cut into ten thousand minute particles. The tinsel is -rubbed by a dash of the hand into your hair, and requires no little -combing and brushing to get it out. Ladies will work at it for hours, -and find some of the spangles still remaining. When a liquid is used, -the apertures are closed with wax, so that the belligerent may carry it -about his person. The antagonist is always of the opposite sex. You must -return these shots, or encounter a railery, which is even worse. Having -finished my chat, I bade my good old Californian friend, and his -daughter, my egg-shell opponent, good morning; but turned into a shop, -procured an egg or two, and re-entered the mansion of my friend by a -side door, where I watched for my victim. A few moments brought her -along, all-unconscious of her danger. I slipped from my covert, and, -unperceived, dashed the showering egg on her head. Her locks floated in -cologne. I was avenged, and now stood square with the world, so far as -egg-breaking is concerned. This seems like children’s play; but here you -are forced into it in selfdefence. - - -THURSDAY, JAN. 7. Two or three of the Californians who were engaged -against the Americans on the Salinas, have since been in town; among -these, the leader, Chaves, who was wounded on that occasion. Many -attempts have been made to take him, but he has always managed to elude -the search. Last night, however, he had an extremely narrow escape. The -officer in command of the garrison, having been informed that he was in -a particular house, silently posted his sentinels around it, and at -about eight o’clock in the evening unceremoniously entered. Quick -footsteps were heard here and there, and only a part of the ladies were -found in the parlor; but these were calm as moonshine, and extremely -polite and amiable. - -The officers apologized for their abrupt intrusion, and stated, very -frankly, what their object was: the ladies assured them that they were -quite right, and they should afford them every facility and aid that -might lead to the discovery of the obnoxious person. They took lights -and piloted them through every apartment of the house, opening every -closet, and lifting every bed-curtain. There was no place in garret, -cellar, kitchen or out-house on which their tapers did not shed their -light; but in none could a trace of the officer whom they sought be -found: so they renewed their apologies to the ladies and departed—when -out slipped Chaves from between two ladies, who had jumped into a bed -for the purpose of concealing him. They had lain there while the -officers were in the chamber; their dark locks floating over the -pillows, and their large eyes closed in seeming slumber. Between them - - “He had been hid—I don’t pretend to say - How, nor can I, indeed, describe the where: - Young, slender, and pack’d easily, he lay, - No doubt, in little compass, round or square” - - -FRIDAY, JAN. 8. We have as yet no further intelligence in reference to -the party of Californians who carried off Mr. Bartlett, of San -Francisco. He had gone into the country, it seems, to attend to some of -his official duties, when he was captured, and is now detained as a -hostage. I came very near falling into a similar trap, a few weeks -since. A farmer in Santa Cruz had extended his improvements over the -lands of another, which lay contiguous to his own, and it became -necessary to go and define the boundaries by the original titles. The -day was fixed when I was to be there, and the parties interested were -summoned to appear on the spot. But the night before I was to leave, -intelligence reached me that an armed party of Californians were -encamped close to the road which I should have taken. But for this -information, brought in by a citizen of Monterey, I should now be -sleeping here and there, under the open heaven, without a change of -apparel, and with bandits for bedfellows: on such slender threads hangs -security here. I have been told by Californians, who are my friends, -that plans have been laid by their countrymen to slip me quietly out of -my house at night, or entrap me in my hunting excursions, on the -outskirts of the town. I began to think, last night, that this attempt -was to be realized. Quick footsteps and a loud rap came to my door, -followed by an excited call for the alcalde. My boy went out, with his -pistols swung at his side; but the call proved to be an honest one. A -shop had been robbed, and a warrant was wanted for the arrest of the -supposed felons. - - -SATURDAY, JAN. 9. How many inventions a Californian lady has! One who -was harboring a Mexican officer that had broken his parol, wishing to do -away with all possible suspicion, got up a fandango, to which she took -special pains to invite all the American officers. Such open-door -hospitality—such challenging of the public eye—threw an air of freedom -and frankness over her whole house. Everybody acquitted her at once of -the least shadow of suspicion. But while the violins and guitars were -trembling and thrilling in concert, and the floor of the old hall was -springing to the bounding measures of the fandango, and bright eyes - - “Were looking love to eyes that spake again,” - -the Mexican officer was snugly taking a nap in the great oven, which, -near the cook-house, silently loomed into the moonlight. It must have -been a long nap, for the stars that kept the mid-watch were relieved -before the company broke up. The officer was then at liberty to leave -his oval dormitory to the baker; and creeping forth, had, no doubt, a -good laugh with his ingenious hostess over the success of the fandango. -There is no disguise so deep as that which seems to seek none. - - -SUNDAY, JAN. 10. I held service to-day on board the U. S. ship Dale. -Though on deck, no inconvenience was experienced from the weather. The -air was soft, and hardly a ripple disturbed the mirror of the sea. Capt. -McKean, in the absence of a chaplain, reads the service himself. He -appreciates the force of moral influences in the government of his crew, -and is well sustained in its exertion by his intelligent officers. It is -rarely that you meet with a commander in the service who is indifferent -to the religious character of his crew. If he has no religion himself, -still he respects it in others, and places his greatest reliance where -it exerts a controlling influence. Religion, wherever possessed, -vindicates its celestial origin. - -The captain of a whale-ship applied to Mr. Damon, of Honolulu, to preach -on board his vessel, stating very frankly that he had no religion -himself, but then he wanted his ship to appear “a little decent.” Now -when a captain applies for a religious service to give an air of -respectability to his vessel, it shows that moral truth is in the -ascendancy, at least in the dignity of its claims. There was a time when -no such expedient was deemed necessary; but a higher light has struck -the mariners who float the great Pacific. Their hosannas will yet be -rolled to heaven in concert with the loud anthem of her many-voiced -waves. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - DESTRUCTION OF DOGS.—THE WASH-TUB MAIL.—THE SURRENDER IN THE - NORTH.—ROBBING THE CALIFORNIANS.—DEATH-SCENE IN A SHANTY.—THE MEN - WHO TOOK UP ARMS.—ARRIVAL OF THE INDEPENDENCE.—DESTITUTION OF OUR - TROOPS.—CAPTURE OF LOS ANGELES. - -MONDAY, JAN. 11. I never expected, when threading the streets of -Constantinople, where dogs inherit the rights of citizenship, to -encounter such multitudes of them in any other part of the world. But -California is more than a match for the Ottoman capital. Here you will -find in every little village a thousand dogs, who never had a master: -every farm-house has some sixty or eighty; and every Indian drives his -cart with thirty or forty on its trail. They had become so troublesome, -that an order was given a few days since to thin their ranks. The -marines, with their muskets, were to be the executioners. The order, of -course, very naturally runs into dog-erels. - - The dogs, the dogs! my gallant lads— - Let each one seize his gun, - And lead the battle’s fiery van, - Though Mars himself should run. - - Remember Lodi’s blazing bridge, - Marengo’s shaking plain, - And Borodino’s thunder-clouds, - Where Cossacks fell like rain. - - Now hurl their howling squadrons down - To Lethe’s silent shore; - They bark so loud, we scarce can hear - Our sleeping sentries snore. - - Lay low the watch-dog first of all; - For he’s a saucy loon, - That bays all night the modest man - Who figures in the moon. - - Then down the pointer: he it is - That threads the leaves and grass— - To train the sportman’s ready fire - At some poor luckless ass. - - Then wing the lap-dog, that pert imp - Befondled by the fair, - And catching all the tender looks - Old bachelors should share. - - O’er him, who falls in this dread strife, - The thunder-clouds shall roll, - Through shaking cliffs and caverned hills, - A requiem to his soul. - - And dewy stars shall softly bend - From their celestial bowers, - To greet the meek-eyed spring, that comes - To strew his grave with flowers. - - -TUESDAY, JAN. 12. After three weeks, in which we had a cloudless sky and -balmy air, the wind has hauled into the southeast, and a gentle rain has -commenced falling. Its having crept upon us so softly, is a symptom that -it will continue with us some time. The first break of sunshine may be a -week hence. - - -WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13. We have no intelligence, as yet, from the seat of -war. The solicitude of the public to know the result is at the highest -pitch. No one doubts that the issue has been very decisive. A report -reached us to-day that the town of los Angeles had been taken by our -troops, and that a large portion of the Californians had laid down their -arms. This rumor comes through the washerwomen of this place. They get -their intelligence from the Indians, who cross the streams in which they -wash their clothes. Singular as this sort of mail may seem, it very -often conveys news, not only with wonderful dispatch, but with -extraordinary accuracy. - -The first capture of los Angeles, by Com. Stockton, was announced here -by these washerwomen; they were also the first to spread the -intelligence of the breaking out of the insurrection at the same place, -and knew of the retreat of the Americans at San Pedro before any other -class of people in Monterey. So much for a wash-tub mail. You may think -lightly of it as of the soap-bubbles that break over its rim; but if you -are wise you will heed its intelligence. It is an old mail that has long -been run in California; and has announced more revolutions, plots, and -counterplots, than there are mummies in Memphis. Who, in other lands, -would dream of going to an old woman, washing her clothes in a mountain -stream, for the first tidings of events in which the destinies of -nations tremble? Mr. Morse need hardly come here with his magnetic -machine. One of these women would snap the news from a napkin or shirt -before his lightning-mail had got under way. - - -THURSDAY, JAN. 14. The small party of Californians who recently took up -arms on the bay of San Francisco, soon increased to two hundred. They -were, with few exceptions, men of the better stamp—men who had a -permanent interest in the soil, and who had refused to join the rash -spirits at the south. They had captured Mr. Bartlett, the chief -magistrate of the jurisdiction, and several other Americans, whom they -held as hostages. - -Capt. Marston, with fifty men from the Savannah, and Capt. Maddox, with -a company of mounted volunteers, and Capt. Weber, with another band of -resolute spirits, met them. A general and decisive engagement was -anticipated; but after a few hours of pretty sharp fighting, the -Californians withdrew from Santa Clara, which was entered by our forces. -A flag of truce was sent in, and the leading spirits on both sides -assembled under the shadows of a great native oak. The Californians -stated that they had taken up arms, not to make war on the American -flag, but to protect themselves from the depredations of those who, -under color of that flag, were plundering them of their cattle, horses, -and grain; and that on assurance being given that these acts of lawless -violence should cease, they were ready to return quietly to their homes. -These demands were not enforced in a spirit of menace, but with that -moral firmness which belongs to a deep sense of wrong. They were acceded -to, and the parties separated, never again, I hope, to meet as -belligerents. - -This is a much better mode of settling differences than through the -arbitrament of the bayonet. It is an easy thing to dislodge a man’s -argument by dislodging his life; but this summary process of getting rid -of an opponent will generally be followed by something worse. There is -terror even in the ghost of a misdeed. - - -FRIDAY, JAN. 15. We have further intelligence from the seat of war. -General Kearny, with his staff and a guard of one hundred dragoons, -arrived on the 6th ult. from New Mexico at San Pasqual, about thirty -miles from San Diego. Here he encountered a hundred and sixty -Californians, under Andres Pico, well mounted, and armed with rifles and -lances. A sanguinary engagement ensued, marked by the most daring, -determined conduct on both sides. Captain Johnson, with twelve dragoons, -led the charge, and was shot dead in the furious onset. Captain Moore, -with fifty dragoons, rushed to the front: the enemy wavered—retreated; -when this gallant officer, with a few of his men who were better mounted -than the rest, rushed on in pursuit. The enemy suddenly wheeled; and now -it was hand to hand between the heavy sword and lance. Captain Moore, on -his white charger was a mark which none could mistake. Lance after lance -was shivered by his flashing steel, till, at last, he sunk overpowered. -All this lasted but a few minutes, but long enough to reach its tragic -results before the remainder of the guard could come up. - -The Californians at last retreated, and Gen. Kearny encamped on the -disputed field. But what a night it must have been! The camp-fire threw -its pale light on the countenances of nineteen, who sprung to their -saddles at the break of day, but who were now locked in the still -embrace of death. The burial rites performed, and another sun in the -heavens, the general was again on his way. But another hill bristling -with lances obstructs his march; it is stormed, carried, and here again -the weary and the wounded require repose. Through the energies of Lieut. -Beale, who seems ever to be where the hardiest enterprise demands, a -message is conveyed through the beleaguering lines of the enemy to the -camp of Com. Stockton, and a detachment of seamen and marines, under -Lieut. Gray, of the Congress, is sent out. This fresh force obliged the -Californians to relinquish their purpose of another engagement. Had they -not arrived, it was the intention of Gen. Kearny to cut his way to San -Diego, be the odds against him what they might. His gallant guard had -shown the reliance which might be reposed in them, by the desperate -valor which they had already evinced. The conduct of Capt. Turner, of -Lieut. Emory, and Capt. Gillespie might give a feature to any field -where life is perilled and laurels won; while the muse of history would -inscribe her glowing eulogy on the tombs of a Johnson, a Moore, and a -Hammond. They sleep in the soil of California, where the undying year - - “Garlands with fragrant flowers their place of rest.” - - -SATURDAY, JAN. 16. The depredations complained of by those who took up -arms in the neighborhood of San Francisco, were committed by some of the -volunteers, previous to their joining Col. Fremont on his present -campaign. They are a class of persons who have drifted over the -mountains into this country from the borders of some of our western -states. It is a prime feature in their policy to keep in advance of law -and order, and to migrate as often as these trench on their -irresponsible privileges. Their connection with our military operations -here is a calamity that can only find a relief in the exigencies of war. - -Were their lawless proceedings directed against those who are active -participators in this revolution, the evils which they inflict would -have some palliation. But the principal sufferers are men who have -remained quietly on their farms, and whom we are bound in honor, as well -as sound policy, to protect. To permit such men to be plundered under -the filched authority of our flag is a national reproach. No temporary -triumph can redeem the injuries inflicted, or obliterate their stain. -But the rash acts committed by one portion of the Californians, and the -wrongs endured by another, are fast drawing to a close. - - -SUNDAY, JAN. 17. As I was passing this morning one of the little huts -sprinkled around the skirts of Monterey, my steps were arrested by the -low moans which issued from its narrow door. On entering, I found on a -straw pallet a mother whom disease had wasted to a mere shadow, but -whose sufferings were now nearly over. She did not notice my entrance, -or any thing around; her eyes were lifted, fixed, and glassed in death. -A slight motion drew my attention to another corner of the hut, where I -discovered, in the dim twilight of the place, a little boy lying on a -mat, whom I supposed asleep; his young sister was near him, and trying -to cross his hands on his breast. She did not seem to notice me, spake -not a word, but went on with her baffled task, for the hand which she -had adjusted would roll off while she was attempting to recover the -other. Now and then she stopped for a moment and kissed the lips which -could return none, while her tears fell silently on the face of her dead -brother. In a few minutes two women entered, who, it seems, had gone out -to call their clergyman to administer the last rites to the mother. He -was too late: her spirit had fled. He spoke to her, called her by -name—but there was no answer; he turned to the little boy, whispered -Raphael, but all was silent and still. Directing the women where to -procure grave-clothes at the expense of the alcalde’s office, I wended -my way home. How little heeds the great stream of life the silent -rivulets of sorrow which mingle with its noisy tide! - - -MONDAY, JAN. 18. It is deeply to be regretted that the military -operations in California should prevent, at this time, an experimental -proof of the fertility of her soil. The rain that has already fallen is -so abundant, that all the arable land will retain its moisture -sufficiently to enable the crops to come to maturity. But this war has -broken up every agricultural arrangement, and defeated every possibility -of a generous harvest. The calamity will be felt most severely by the -emigrants. They arrive here with very slender means; and the idea of -paying twenty dollars a barrel for flour covers them with dismay. -Instead of having reached a land of plenty, they hastily conclude that -they are to suffer the miseries of destitution, and yield to a -despondency deeper than that which shook the faith of the Israelites -before their wants were miraculously supplied. But there is no manna -here, and no quails, except those which are secured by the hunter’s -skill. The day of miracles is over, even in California. - - -TUESDAY, JAN. 19. One of my boys caught a dove, a few days since, -clipped his wing, and placed him in our yard, which has a high wall -around it. He looked very lonely at first, but his mate soon came, -hovered around on the wall, and finally preferring captivity with him to -freedom without, flew down to his side. How beautiful is that affection -which never forsakes in adversity, but becomes deeper and stronger as -the waves of affliction roll higher over the object of its sympathy and -trust! - - -WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20. There is one feature in our military operations here -which is far asunder from that system of order which appertains to a -well-disciplined army. Every one who can raise among the emigrants -thirty or forty men, becomes a captain, and starts off to fight pretty -much on his own hook. Nor is he very scrupulous as to the mode in which -he obtains his horses, saddles, and other equipments. He takes them -wherever he can find them, and very often without leaving behind the -slightest evidence by which the owner can recover the value of his -property. He plunders the Californian to procure the means of fighting -him. Public exigency is the plea which is made to cover all the culpable -features in the transaction. This may justify, perhaps, taking the -property, but it never can excuse the refusal or neglect to give -receipts. It is due to Com. Stockton and Col. Fremont to say, that this -has been done without their sanction. Still, it reflects reproach on our -cause, and is a source of vast irritation in the community. No man who -has any possible means of redress left will tamely submit to such -outrages; and yet we expect the Californians to hug this chain of -degradation, and help to rivet its links. Let foreigners land on our own -coast, and do among us what Americans have done here, and every farmer, -in the absence of a musket, would shoulder his pitchfork and flail. -Human nature is the same here as there, and a sense of wrong will burn -as deeply in the one place as the other. I utter, for one, my note of -remonstrance, though it be as little heeded as the whispers of a leaf in -the roar of a storm-swept forest. - - -THURSDAY, JAN. 21. The scarcity of provisions in Monterey continues. -Flour is twenty-five dollars the barrel, and there is hardly a barrel in -the place at that. We have in our garrison about a hundred and fifty -men, and all are on a short allowance of bread. There is wheat in the -interior, but the mules which should be there to grind it have gone to -the wars. Even that sorry animal seems here not wholly insensible to -military glory. The trump of fame finds an echo even in his long ears. - - -FRIDAY, JAN. 22. The flag on the fort informed us this afternoon of the -approach of a ship within the rim of our bay. As she neared, the signals -on the Dale told her to be an American man-of-war. We conjectured at -once that she must be the Congress; but as she rounded into her berth we -could not recognize, in her majestic form, the features of our old -friend. She proved to be the Independence, commanded by Capt. Lavelette, -and bearing the broad pennant of Com. Shubrick. She sailed from the U. -States on the twenty-ninth of August, and arrived at Rio de Janeiro in -fifty-three days; remained there ten days; doubled the Cape and reached -Valparaiso in thirty-four days; stopped there seven, and reached here in -thirty-eight. This is splendid sailing; but the Independence is one of -the fastest, as well as one of the most powerful ships in our service. -Though razeed of her carronades, all her effective force remains. Her -battery is a frowning mass of thunder. Her officers are men of -enterprise and professional merit. They have brought a mail, well filled -with letters and papers, from the United States. If you would know the -value of a single letter, let an ocean roll between you and your home. - - -SATURDAY, JAN. 23. The Independence left the Columbus at Valparaiso, -under the broad pennant of Com. Biddle, who has instructions to favor us -here with a visit. The Columbus was in want of supplies, and would be -detained several days in procuring them. She had better lay in all she -will require, for there is nothing here. Unless a transport arrives -soon, there will not be salt provisions enough on the coast to enable -our squadron to go to sea two weeks. There has not been a transport here -for six months; our sailors have been living on fresh meat till they -hanker for the salt more than they ever did for the fresh. As for -clothing, they can hardly muster a shirt a piece, and one pair of shoes -among half a dozen is becoming rather a rare sight. This is a hard case, -when our markets at home are glutted with these articles. The sailor is -required to be faithful to the government, and the government should be -faithful to him. He should not be left here barefooted to patter about -like a duck in shallow water. It is well for him that it is a California -winter through which he is obliged to pass in his destitution; in the -same latitude on the Atlantic he would nearly have perished. - - -SUNDAY, JAN. 24. It is difficult to make the Californians understand why -you will not attend to office duties on the Sabbath. The apology that -you want it as a day of recreation, would be appreciated; but the plea -of its sanctity is with many wholly unintelligible. If you would make a -person respect the Sabbath, you must rear him in its sacred observance. - - -MONDAY, JAN. 25. The wash-tub mail is still further establishing its -claims to confidence. Its intelligence is no bubble breaking over its -rim, and evaporating into thin air; but a chain of facts carrying with -them the destinies of a nation. All that has reached us through this -singular mail is confirmed this morning by a California youth who has -arrived from below. - -He left los Angeles some fourteen days since, and states that previous -to his departure, Com. Stockton had entered the town at the head of the -American forces from San Diego. He says there had been some pretty hard -fighting, in which the Californians had suffered severely. Col. Fremont, -he states, was within two days’ march of the Pueblo, and in a position -to cut off the retreat of the Californians to the north. He believes -that most of them have surrendered. This intelligence is, in every -essential particular, identical with that which reached us several days -since through the washerwomen of this town. They must have obtained it -from those who swept through to the north when the rout below first -commenced. - - -TUESDAY, JAN. 26. A Californian made me a present to-day of a wild goose -which he had just killed. I value the gift for the giver, rather than -any benefit it may be to me. I live mostly on mush; such a thing as a -wild goose never floats within the shadows of my domestic dreams. Even -the drum of the partridge is rarely heard there. Wild geese prevail here -in the greatest abundance; every lagoon, lake, and river is filled with -them. They fly in squadrons, which, for the moment, shut out the sun; a -chance shot will often bring two or three to the ground. The boys will -often lasso them in the air. This is done by fastening two lead balls, -several yards from each other, to a long line, which is whirled into the -air to a great height. In its descent the balls fall on opposite sides -of the neck of some luckless goose, and down he comes into the hands of -the urchin hunter; sometimes a pair are brought down, but one generally -manages to effect his escape. The boy little heeds the domestic relation -that may have subsisted between them; and yet there is something in -killing the mate of even a goose that might be relieved in the thought -that no other goose loved him. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - ARRIVAL OF THE LEXINGTON.—THE MARCH TO LOS ANGELES, AND BATTLE OF SAN - GABRIEL.—THE CAPITULATION.—MILITARY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE - CALIFORNIANS.—BARRICADES DOWN. - -THURSDAY, JAN. 28. Our harbor has been enlivened to-day by the arrival -of the U. S. ship Lexington, commanded by Lieut. Theodorus Bailey, an -officer that might well have been promoted years ago. Capt. Tompkins and -his company of one hundred and forty men, and field train of artillery, -are on board. She brings out also Capt. Halleck, U. S. Engineer, who is -entrusted with the erection of fortifications at this place and San -Francisco. The Lexington is laden with heavy battery guns, mortars, -shot, shells, muskets, pistols, swords, fixed ammunition, and several -hundred barrels of powder. She has also a quantity of shovels, spades, -ploughs, pickaxes, saws, hammers, forges, and all the necessary utensils -for building fortifications of the first class; and what is better -still, she brings with her a saw-mill and a good grist-mill. - - -FRIDAY, JAN. 29. The U. S. ship Dale, W. W. McKean commander, sailed -to-day for Panama. She takes the mail which is to cross the isthmus, and -reach the United States by the West India steamers. As soon as her -destination was known, a hundred pens were at work, transferring to -paper affections, fond remembrances, kind wishes, and a thousand tender, -anxious inquiries. How absence melts the heart. The cold is kindled, the -indifferent clothed with interest, antipathies melt away, and -endearments revive with undying power. I love the very stones over which -my truant footsteps ran, and could kiss the birch rod that chastised my -youthful follies. What language, then, can portray the love which clings -to one who throws sunlight through the shadows of this dark world, or -paint the cherished hope that buds into being with— - -MY INFANT BOY. - - I have not seen thy face, my child; - They say each look and line, - Which o’er thy father’s aspect plays, - Is miniatured in thine. - - They tell me that thy infant voice— - Its wildly warbled tone, - Seems to thy mother’s listening ear - The echo of my own. - - I know it not, but fondly deem - That such a thing may be, - And trust thy father’s better hopes - May long survive in thee. - - I have not seen thy face, my child, - Though weary moons have set - Since mine and thy glad mother’s eyes - In tender transport met:— - - For ere thy being dawned to light, - Or knew what life might mean, - Our ship had earth’s mid circuit swept, - And oceans rolled between. - - I waft thee back a father’s kiss— - A pledge of that wild joy, - Which o’er his yearning heart will rush, - To clasp his infant boy. - - -SATURDAY, JAN. 30. The long-looked for intelligence has come at last in -an authentic shape. The American forces, commanded by Com. Stockton, -aided by Gen. Kearny, broke camp at San Diego on the 29th ult., and took -up the line of march for los Angeles. Their route lay through a rugged -country of one hundred and forty miles, drenched with the winter rains, -and bristling with the lances of the enemy. Through this the commodore -led our seamen and marines, sharing himself, with the general at his -side, all the hardships of the common sailor. The stern engagements with -the enemy derive their heroic features from the contrast existing in the -condition of the two. The Californians were well mounted, are the most -expert horsemen in the world, and whirled their flying-artillery to the -most commanding positions. Our troops were on foot, mired to the ankle, -and with no resource except in their own indomitable resolution and -courage. Their exploits may be lost in the shadow of the clouds which -roll up from the plains of Mexico, but they are realities here, which -impress themselves with a force which reaches the very foundations of -social order. The march of the American forces from San Diego to the -Pueblo below, and their engagements with the enemy, are vividly -described in a letter to me from one of the officers attached to the -expedition. This writer says: - - “Com. Stockton, at the head of a force amounting to about six hundred - men, including a detachment of the 1st regiment of U. S. dragoons, - under Gen. Kearny, left San Diego on the morning of the 29th of - December, for los Angeles. Our line of march lay through a rough and - mountainous country of nearly one hundred and fifty miles, with - impediments on every side, and constant apprehensions of an attack - from the enemy: our progress was nevertheless rapid; and though - performed mostly by sailor troops, would have done credit to the best - disciplined army. - - “On the morning of the 8th of January, we found ourselves, after - several days’ hard marching and fatigue, in the vicinity of the river - San Gabriel; on the north side of which the enemy had fortified - themselves to the number of five hundred mounted men, with four pieces - of artillery, under Gen. Flores, and in a position so commanding, that - it seemed impossible to gain any point by which our troops could be - protected from their galling fire. They presented their forces in - three divisions—one on our right, another on our left, and a third in - front, with the artillery. On reaching the south side of the river, - the commodore dismounted, forded the stream, and commanded the troops - to pass over, which they did promptly under the brisk fire of the - enemy’s artillery. He ordered the artillery not to unlimber till the - opposite bank should be gained; as soon as this was effected, he - ordered a charge directly in the teeth of the enemy’s guns, which soon - resulted in the possession of the commanding position they had just - occupied. The first gun fired was aimed by the commodore before the - charge was made up the hill; this overthrew the enemy’s gun, which had - just poured forth its thunder in our midst. Having gained this - important position, a brisk cannonading was kept up for some time. We - encamped on the spot for the night. The next day we met the enemy - again on the plains of the Mesa, near the city. They made a bold and - resolute stand; tried our lines on every side; and manœuvred their - artillery with much skill. But the firm and steady courage with which - our troops continued to defend themselves, repelled their attempts at - a general charge, and we found ourselves again victorious. We encamped - again near the battleground, and on the morning of the tenth marched - into the city, while the adjacent hills were glistening with the - lances of the enemy.” - - -SUNDAY, JAN. 31. It is sweet in a land of tumult and strife to see the -Sabbath sun come up. Its sacred light melts over the rough aspects of -war like melting dew down the frontlet of the crouched lion. May the -spirit of devotion, in its ascending flight, bear into a serener element -the aspirations of the human heart! There let faith, and hope, and -immortal love build their tabernacle. It shall be a dwelling for the -soul when the palaces, temples, and towers of earth are in ruins. Over -its gem-inwoven roof shall stream the light of stars that never set; -flowers that cannot die shall wreath its colonnade, and hang in fragrant -festoons from its walls; while the voices of streamlets, as they flash -over their golden sands, shall pour unceasing music on the wandering -air. - - -MONDAY, FEB. 1. The forces under Col. Fremont were within a few leagues -of the town of the Angels when Com. Stockton entered it. Their approach -cut off the retreat of the Californians to the north. The forces of the -commodore were on foot, and of course unable to follow up their -brilliant successes. The enemy were mounted, and might have held the -country around. If attacked, they had only to retreat, and return again -on the retiring footsteps of their foes. But at this critical juncture, -Col. Fremont, with his battalion, came down upon them, leaving them no -alternative but to capitulate or attempt a disastrous flight into -Mexico. They wisely, with the exception of a few, determined to abide -the conditions of a treaty. The terms of capitulation are couched in a -spirit of great liberality and justice. One would hardly think that men -so amiable and confiding in their terms of peace, could have just been -on the eve of taking each others lives. But this is one of those -exhibitions of forbearance and generosity which not unfrequently relieve -the calamities of war. - -The articles of capitulation, in substance, were, that the Californians -shall surrender their arms to Col. Fremont, return peaceably to their -homes, and not resume hostilities during the continuance of the war with -Mexico;—that they shall be guarantied the protection of life and -property, and equal rights and privileges with the citizens of the -United States. These terms were duly subscribed by the commissioners -appointed by the parties to the compact, and ratified by Col. Fremont. -They were liberal in their spirit, wise in their purpose, and just in -their application. More rigorous terms would have involved a sense of -humiliation in one party, without any advantage to the other. The -Californians were defeated, but not crushed. They have those salient -energies which rebound from misfortune, as their native forests sweep -back into the face of heaven, when the tempest has passed. They never -took the field out of reverence for the Mexican flag: it was a wild -impulse, deriving its life from a love of adventure, and the excitements -of the camp. They had had their tragedy, acted their part, and were now -willing the dim curtain should drop; and Col. Fremont very wisely -clenched it to the stage. A few in the orchestra still piped; but the -actors were away, the sidescenes vacant, and the spectators at their -homes; and there may they remain, till the sword shall be beaten into -the ploughshare, and the spear into the pruning-hook, and the art of war -be known no more. - - -THURSDAY, FEB. 4. The Californians who left Monterey to join the -outbreak at the south are now returning to their homes. Every day brings -back two or three to their firesides. They look like men who have been -out on a hunt, and returned with very little game. Still, it must be -confessed that they have materially strengthened their claims to -military skill and courage. They have been defeated, it is true, but it -has cost their victors many sanguinary struggles, and many valuable -lives. They have raised themselves above that contemptuous estimation in -which they were erroneously held by many, and secured a degree of -respect, which will contribute to mutual forbearance. This result is to -be ascribed to the prowess of the few, rather than the conduct of the -many. The mass were governed by impulse and the pressure of -circumstances. It was not that calm, heroic spirit which disregards -personal safety, and exults in the hour of peril; nor was it that deep -sense of patriotic duty which makes a man firm in disaster and death. It -was rather that recklessness which springs from wounded pride, but which -often crowns with laurels a forlorn hope. - - -FRIDAY, FEB. 5. The outbreak at the north has passed away, and the last -wave of commotion perished with it. This result is to be ascribed to the -energy of Capt. Mervin, to the moderation and firmness of Capt. Marston -and his associates, and to the good conduct of the forces under their -command. Nor should it be forgotten that the Californians evinced, on -this occasion, a disposition well suited to bring about an amicable -treaty. They took up arms, not to make war on the American flag, but in -vindication of their rights as citizens of California, and in defence of -their property. They had been promised protection—they had been assured -that they should not be molested, if they remained quietly at their -homes—and these pledges had been glaringly violated. Their horses and -cattle had been taken from them under cover of public exigency, and no -receipts given, to secure them indemnification, till at last they -determined to have their rights respected, or to die like men. Still, it -was necessary to meet them in arms, and in sufficient force to inspire -respect. They were, however, well mounted, and might, had they so -listed, have prolonged the struggle. But this was not their object, and -they sent in a flag of truce. The conditions of the treaty were, that -they should lay down their arms, release their prisoners, and that their -property should be restored, or such vouchers given as would enable them -ultimately to recover its value. This was a reasonable requirement on -their part, and the American officers had the good sense to appreciate -its force. We must be just before we attempt to be brave. Laurels won -through wrong are a dishonor. - - -SATURDAY, FEB. 6. We have another rain; not a cloud is to be seen; but -the whole atmosphere is filled with a thick mist, which dissolves in a -soft perpetual shower. It seems as if nature had relinquished every -other occupation, and given herself up to this moist business. She calls -up no thunder, throws out no lightning; she only squeezes her great -sponge, and that as quietly as a mermaid smooths her dripping locks. - - -SUNDAY, FEB. 7. Com. Shubrick has ordered the barricades removed. Thank -God! we are at last relieved of martial law. It is one of the greatest -calamities that can fall on a civilized nation. It tramples on private -rights, trifles with responsibility, and cuts the conscience adrift from -its moorings. Men are thrown into this eddy of excess, and then act like -rudderless ships in a tempest-tost sea. Years will elapse before the -moral sentiments which have been unhinged by military violence can be -restored. Even California, where revolutions come and go like the -shadows of passing clouds, will long show the traces of the one which -has now passed over her. Its lightning has shivered the tree before the -fruit was ripe, and blasted a thousand buds that might have bloomed into -fragrant beauty. - - -MONDAY, FEB. 8. Much to the relief of the citizens, Com. Shubrick has -given orders that the volunteers on service here shall be paid off and -discharged. They are principally sea-beachers and mountain-combers, and -some of them are very good men; but others seem to have no idea of the -proprietorship of property. They help themselves to it as canvas-back -ducks the grass that grows in the Potomac, or migratory birds the -berries which bloom in the forests through which they wander. They -hardly left fowl enough here on which to keep Christmas. Could -dismembered hens lay eggs, they would have more chickens in their -stomachs than they ever had dollars in their pockets. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - RETURN OF T. O. LARKIN.—THE TALL PARTNER IN THE CALIFORNIAN.—MEXICAN - OFFICERS.—THE CYANE.—WAR MEMENTOES.—DRAMA OF ADAM AND - EVE.—CARNIVAL.—BIRTH-DAY OF WASHINGTON.—A CALIFORNIA - CAPTAIN.—APPLICATION FOR A DIVORCE.—ARRIVAL OF THE COLUMBUS. - -TUESDAY, FEB. 9. The U. S. ship Cyane, S. F. Dupont commander, is just -in from San Diego. She was dispatched to bring up General Kearny and -suit, and our consul, T. O. Larkin, Esq. The arrival of the Independence -was not known at San Diego when the Cyane sailed. The return of Mr. -Larkin was warmly greeted by our citizens. Even the old Californians -left their corridors to welcome him back. He was captured by those -engaged in the outbreak some three months since, and has been closely -guarded as a prisoner of war. Still, in the irregularities of the -campaign, and the easy fidelity of those who kept watch, he has had many -opportunities of effecting his escape, but declined them all. He was on -the eve, at one time, of being taken to Mexico, and got ready for the -long and wearisome journey; but some of his captors relented, and he was -allowed to remain at the town of the Angels, when the success of the -American arms relieved him. He experienced during his captivity many -acts of kindness. Even the ladies, who in California are always on the -side of those who suffer, sent him many gifts, which contributed -essentially to his comfort. But he is once more with his family, and -long may it be before he takes another such trip as his last. - - -WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10. My tall partner in the Californian is back at last -from his three months’ trip to San Francisco. I excused his long -absence, and cheerfully endured all the toil of getting out the paper, -with only the assistance of a type-setting sailor, under the vague -impression that he was hunting up a wife. But he has come back as single -as he came into the world. Whether his solitude is a thing of choice or -necessity I have not inquired. A man’s celibacy is a misfortune, with -which it seems wicked to trifle. It is too selfish for pity and too -serious for mirth. But let my partner go; he will get a wife in due -time; indeed he has had one already; and that is about the number which -nature provides. Some, it is true, take a second, and a few totter on to -a third, seemingly that they may have company when they totter into the -grave. Go down to your narrow house alone in the majesty of an unshaken -faith, and trust to meet the partner of your youth in heaven. She waits -there to beckon you to the hills of light. Meet her not with a harem of -spirits at your side, but singly, as on earth, - - When first beneath the hawthorn’s shade, - The love she long had veiled from view, - Her soft, uplifted eyes betrayed, - As fell their broad, bright glance on you. - - -THURSDAY, FEB. 11. Two of the officers of Gen. Castro sent through me -to-day to Com. Shubrick, applications for permission to return to -Mexico. They are very poor, having received no pay since our flag was -raised. There are many more in the same situation. They are entitled to -our sympathy. They have tried, it is true, to retake the country; but -they are not to blame for that: who would not have done the same, -situated as they have been? We may call their courage sheer rashness; -but even that has higher claims to respect than pusillanimity. They -fought for their places, it is true, but I do not see why there is not -quite as much honor in a man’s fighting for bread with which to feed his -children, as for a feather with which to plume his ambition. Very few in -these days fight from pure patriotism. Some hope of profit or preferment -lights their path and lures them on. There has been, I apprehend, quite -as much love of country in the Californian as the American, in the storm -of battle which has swept over this land. - - -FRIDAY, FEB. 12. The Cyane sailed to-day for San Francisco, where she -will be allowed a short repose. And truly she merits this indulgence; -she has been, under her indefatigable commander, for six months -incessantly on duty, and has performed some exploits that will figure in -history. All our ships on this coast have been extremely active, and -their crews more active still. Wherever they have let go their anchors, -it has been for service on shore. They have furled their sails only to -unfurl their flags, and have relinquished the rope only to handle the -carbine. Not a man of them has been missed in the hour of peril; not a -murmur has escaped their lips in privation and fatigue. They have done -the duty of soldiers as well as sailors. They have conquered California. - - -SATURDAY, FEB. 13. The great scarcity of provisions here, and the -difficulty experienced in subsisting our forces, has induced Com. -Shubrick to issue a circular, throwing the ports open for six months to -all necessary articles of food. This step is characterized by sound -policy as well as humanity. It will have the effect of lowering the -exorbitant prices which we are now paying for these articles, and go far -to secure the good will of the citizens. Every measure which relieves -the present exigency, will be fully appreciated. The scarcity is the -result, in some measure, of the war; in this we have a responsibility, -and the least we can do is to relieve, so far as it lies in our power, -the calamity which it has entailed. - - -SUNDAY, FEB. 14. The bones which bleach on the battle-field, and the -groans which load the reluctant winds, are not the saddest memorials of -war. They lie deeper; they are coffined in decayed virtue, and in the -convulsions of outraged humanity. They convert the heart of a nation -into a charnel-house, where the gloomy twilight only serves to betray -the corruption which festers within. Flowers may bloom over it, and -garlands be woven of their fragrant leaves, but within is death. We -shudder at a recollection of the Deluge, and still gaze with wonder and -fear at its ghastly memorials: _that_ catastrophe, however, swept the -earth but once, and then departed; but war has for ages trampled over it -in blood, followed by the shrieks of fatherless children, and the wail -of ruined nations. - - Where’er the blood-stained monster trod - Fell deep and wide the curse of God. - - -MONDAY, FEB. 15. We have had the drama of Adam and Eve as a phase in the -amusements, which have been crowded into the last days of the carnival. -It was got up by one of our most respectable citizens, who for the -purpose converted his ample saloon into a mimic opera-house. The actors -were his own children, and those near akin. They sustained their parts -well except the one who impersonated Satan; he was of too mild and frank -a nature to represent such a daring, subtle character. It was as if the -lark were to close his eyes to the touch of day, or the moon to invest -herself with thunder. But Eve was beautiful, and full of nature as an -unweaned child. She rose at once into full bloom, like the Aphrodite of -Phidias from the sparkling wave. Every sound and sight struck on her -wondering sense, as that of a being just waked to life. Her untaught -motions melted into flowing lines, soft and graceful as those of a bird -circling among flowers. - - “Her eyes as stars of twilight fair; - Like twilight’s too her dusky hair: - But all things else about her drawn, - From May-time and the cheerful dawn.” - -The features of Adam betrayed his affinity to Eve. It was a brother’s -pride hovering over a sister’s loveliness. This imparted the highest -moral charm to the association. No unhallowed thought cast an ambiguous -shadow on the purity of their bliss. It was dashed by the evil one while -yet untouched by sorrow. When all was lost, Adam sustained himself in -his irreparable calamity with majestic resignation. In a moment of -forgetfulness he cast the blame on his companion, but her silent tears -instantly subdued him, and he clasped her to his heart. There is no -affection so deep as that which springs from sympathy in sorrow. Tears -fell here and there among the spectators, as the exiled pair left -forever their own sweet Eden. The birds became silent as if they had -sung only for the ear of Eve; the flowers would not lift themselves from -the light pressure of her departing footstep; and the streamlet trembled -in its flow, as if afraid it might lose the image, which her -disappearing form had cast upon its crystal mirror. - - -TUESDAY, FEB. 16. It is past midnight, and I have just come from the -house of T. O. Larkin, Esq., where I left the youth, the beauty, the -wisdom, and worth of Monterey. There are more happy hearts there than I -have met with in any other assemblage since I came to California. This -is the sunshine that has followed the war-cloud. This being the last -night of the carnival, every one has broken his last egg-shells. But few -of them contained cologne or lavender; nearly all were filled with -golden tinsel. Ladies and gentlemen too are covered with the sparkling -shower, and the lights of the chandeliers are thrown back in millions of -mimic rays. Two of the young ladies, remarkable for their sprightliness -and beauty, broke their eggs on the head of our commodore, and got -kissed by way of retaliation. They blushed, but still enjoyed their -triumph. I did not venture the _lex taliones_ in this form, but I had -eggs, and came off pretty even in the battle. The hens will now have a -little peace, and be allowed to hatch their chickens. The origin of this -egg-breaking custom I have not been able to learn. It seems lost in the -twilight of antiquity. I must leave it to those walking mummies, who -love to grope among the catacombs of perished nations: should they -discover it, their shouts will almost shake down the Egyptian pyramids. - - -WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17. A convict on our public works managed to escape -to-day, carrying off his ball and chain. Well, if he only will stop -stealing, he may run to earth’s utmost verge. I always like to see a -fellow get out of trouble, and sometimes half forget his crimes in his -misfortunes. This is not right, perhaps, in one situated as I am; but I -cannot help it; it is as much beyond my will as the pulses which throb -in my veins. - - -FRIDAY, FEB. 19. The volunteers, who accompanied Col. Fremont to the -south, are beginning to return to their homes on the Sacramento. Several -of them have stopped here on their way up, and report every thing -tranquil below. They murmur in deep undertones over their failure to -reach the Pueblo before the forces under Com. Stockton, and ascribe -their disappointment to a want of confidence in their courage and skill. -I know not how this may be; but, certainly, many and most of them could -have had but very little experience in California modes of warfare. They -may have been as brave as Cæsar, and their very daring have contributed -to their defeat. The secret of success here, where lances are used, lies -in a commander’s keeping his troops compact; but this is almost a moral -impossibility where men are well mounted and as full of enthusiasm as a -Cape Horn cloud of storms; without the severest discipline, they will -dash ahead, and take consequences however fatal. It was this error which -cost Capt. Burrows and his brave companions their lives. - - -SATURDAY, FEB. 20. We have had a fresh stir to-day, in the arrival of -Lieut. Watson, of the navy, with dispatches for Com. Shubrick and Gen. -Kearny, and with private letters to many of the officers. I have one -dated quite into November, and from my own hearth and home. I rushed -into the middle of it, then to each end, to ascertain that all were -well; and felt there was still one spot of earth covered with golden -light. - -Mr. Watson sailed from New York, November twelfth, in the brig Sylvan, -landed at Chagres, and reached Panama on the twenty-seventh of the same -month; was detained there waiting for a conveyance till December the -twenty-fifth, when he took passage in an English steamer for Callao, -fell in with the U. S. storeship Erie, at Payta, on January third, went -on board of her, and arrived at San Francisco in thirty-nine days. But -for the detention in Panama, he would have reached here from New York in -sixty-seven days. But even this passage may be still further abridged by -a line of steamers. The day is not distant when a trip to California -will be regarded rather as a diversion than a serious undertaking. It -will be quite worth the while to come out here merely to enjoy this -climate for a few months. It is unrivalled, perhaps, in the world. - - -SUNDAY, FEB. 21. The American Tract Society has sent me out, by the -Lexington, a large box of their publications. Nothing could be more -timely. I have not seen a tract circulating in California. Emigrants are -arriving, settling here and there, without bringing even their Bibles -with them. The same is true of the United States troops. All these are -to be supplied from home, and by those two great institutions which are -now throwing the light of life over continents and isles. It remains for -the Missionary Society to do its duty, and dispatch to this shore the -self-denying heralds of the Cross. - - -MONDAY, FEB. 22. This is the birth-day of Washington. The Independence -and Lexington are brilliantly dressed; the flags of all nations stream -over them in a gorgeous arch. A salute of twenty-eight guns from the -Independence has expressed the homage of each state to the occasion. -Even here, and among the native population, Washington is known, and his -virtues are revered. People speak of him as a being exempted from the -weaknesses of our nature—as one commissioned of Heaven for a great and -glorious purpose, and endowed with the amazing powers requisite for its -accomplishment. It is the character of Washington that will never die. -His achievements will long survive on the page of history, but his -character is embalmed in the human heart. It is not a man’s deeds that -of themselves render him immortal. There must be some high consecrating -motive. He who reared the most gigantic of the pyramids has perished. He -sought an eternal remembrance in his monument, and not in any virtues -which it was to perpetuate. The monument remains, but where is its -builder? - - “Gone, glimmering through the twilight of the past.” - - -TUESDAY, FEB. 23. We are eagerly looking for the arrival of store-ships -from the United States. Our squadron is without provisions, except fresh -grub from the shore. Our ships, as far as sea-service is concerned, are -of about as much use as so many nautical pictures. They look stately and -brave, as they ride at anchor in our bay; but let them go to sea, and -they would carry famine with them. It is a strange policy that keeps a -squadron on this coast in such a disabled condition. One would suppose -the Department had concluded men could live at sea on moonshine. - - -WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24. A Californian woman complained to me, several months -since, of very ill-treatment from her husband. He was thoroughly -indolent, cross, and abusive. She had him and the children to feed and -clothe, while he did nothing but lounge about, find fault, and abuse -her. She asked for a divorce; but I told her she must be satisfied, for -the present, with a separation. So I called him before me, and ordered -him to gather up his traps, and leave the house for six months. He -grumbled a little, but obeyed the order. - -To-day, the woman returned, and said she would try to live with her -husband again; that he often now walked past the house, and looked very -lonely and dejected; that she felt sorry for him, and, if I was willing, -she would try him again. I told her, with all my heart; that this was -good Christian conduct in her, and much better than a divorce. She -seemed gratified with this warm commendation; so did her husband with -the permission to return. How the restoration will turn out, remains to -be seen. But how forgiving is the heart of woman! Where she has once -loved, the affection never dies. Neglect may chill it, but it will bud -again, as plants, over which the snows of winter have been spread. - - -THURSDAY, FEB. 25. A courier arrived to-day from los Angeles. Every -thing continues quiet there. The Californians had entirely dispersed, -and retired to their ranchos, with the exception of those few who had -gone upon a forlorn hope to Sonora. They will never be able to raise a -force there sufficient to make any impression here. Mexico has enough to -do in her own borders, without an attempt to retake California. - - -FRIDAY, FEB. 26. A captain of artillery in the Californian army, said to -me a few days since, that his military career was now over, that he had -a numerous family to maintain, and he thought of engaging in making -adobes, if I would sell him a small patch of ground for that purpose, -belonging to the municipality; but stated that he had no money, and was -not a little puzzled to know how he was to pay for it, unless I would -suggest some method by which he could work it out with his boys and -team. I told him I was drawing stone for a prison; that he could engage -in this, and should be allowed the highest cash price. To-day I found -him, with his boys, at the quarry, lifting the stone into his cart. To -show him that I connected no idea of degradation with the work, I turned -to and assisted in heaving in one of the hugest in the pile. He wanted -to know if the people in the United States generally worked. I told him -all, except a few loafers and dandies, who were regarded as a public -nuisance. He said he was glad to hear it; for he must now work himself, -and it would be an easier lot with others to share it with him. I -assured him he would have company enough, as the emigration poured in -over the mountains. I must say, I have more respect for this working -captain of artillery, than for forty of his rank clinging to the shreds -of office, and shrinking from honest labor. - - -SATURDAY, FEB. 27. The weather continues bright and beautiful. The air -is soft, the sky clear, the trees are in bud, and the fields are -medallioned with flowers. A bouquet of these floral offerings was sent -me to-day by a California lady, with a little note in liquid Castilian, -that I would accept them as emblems of those hopes, which were timidly -expanding into life for California. Long may those hopes remain, and -long the gentle being who has sent these tokens live to walk in their -light. She is one, over whom adversity has swept; but she breaks from -its gloomy veil, bright as a star from the shadow of the departed cloud. - - -SUNDAY, FEB. 28. It is Lent; and the family that live the next door to -mine, are at their evening prayers. They were merry as a marriage-bell -during carnival, and now they are in sackcloth and ashes. Religion has a -wide vibration to reach these extremes of mirth and melancholy. But life -itself is made up of vicissitudes; wealth disappears in poverty; smiles -dissolve in tears; and the light of our mortal being goes out in the -night of the grave. But there is a higher life that is never overcast—a -spirit-home, where sorrow and change come not. Thither let the weary -lift the eye of faith, and forget the cares which environ their -pilgrimage here. - - -MONDAY, FEB. 29. Our harbor has been thrown into some commotion again by -another of the great leviathans of the deep. The U. S. ship of the line -Columbus, commanded by Capt. Wyman, and bearing the broad pennant of -Com. Biddle, entered our bay in stately majesty this morning. She came -in before a light breeze, under a vast cloud of canvas, and rounded to -in splendid style, near the Independence. She is the largest ship that -has ever been on this coast. Ladies and gentlemen watched from hill-top -and balcony her approach. She is last from Callao; her crew have -recovered from the effects of the East India climate, and her officers -are all in excellent spirits. They preferred, of course, a more -immediate return home, but evinced no want of alacrity in obeying the -mandate that has brought them here. I find among them my esteemed -friend, the Rev. Mr. Newton, highly and justly respected in the service. -We separated in Philadelphia to meet in California! After this we may -expect to encounter each other at the North Pole! - - -TUESDAY, MARCH 3. The U. S. ship Warren, under Commander Hull, is in -from San Francisco. She is now in the fourth year of her cruise, and has -hardly copper enough on her to make a warming-pan. Some say she will -tumble to pieces if an attempt is made to get her around Cape Horn. But -she has weathered many stormy headlands, and would undoubtedly weather -that. Still, she may be detained here as a harbor-ship; but wiser heads -than mine will determine that question. Her crew ought to be permitted -to return; it is cruel to keep men out as they have been. The sailor’s -lot is hard enough, indeed, when every suitable effort is made to -relieve it. There are but few drops of real happiness in his cup of -sorrow. He has his pastimes, it is true, but they partake more of -insanity than sober gladness. He is cradled in adversity, reared in -neglect, and dies in the midst of his days; and over his floating bier -the ocean thunders its dirge. - - -WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4. The convict that escaped a short time since was -overtaken by my constable ninety miles distant, and brought back to-day. -He looked like one whose last desperate hope had been baffled. I asked -what he attempted to run away for. He said the devil put it into his -head. I told him the poor old devil had enough to answer for without -being charged with his offences, and doubled the time of his sentence, -which was only for six months, and sent him back to the public works. He -is rather a hardened character, but if he has got a good vein in him, I -will try to find it. And in the mean time I shall set the prisoners -quarrying stone for a school-house, and have already laid the -foundations. The building is to be sixty feet by thirty-two stories, -suitably proportioned, with a handsome portico. The labor of the -convicts, the taxes on rum, and the banks of the gamblers, must put it -up. Some think my project impracticable; we shall see. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - THE PEOPLE OF MONTEREY.—THE GUITAR AND RUNAWAY WIFE.—MOTHER ORDERED TO - FLOG HER SON.—WORK OF THE PRISONERS.—CATCHING SAILORS.—COURT OF - ADMIRALTY.—GAMBLERS CAUGHT AND FINED.—LIFTING LAND BOUNDARIES. - -SATURDAY, MARCH 6. I have never been in a community that rivals Monterey -in its spirit of hospitality and generous regard. Such is the welcome to -the privileges of the private hearth, that a public hotel has never been -able to maintain itself. You are not expected to wait for a particular -invitation, but to come without the slightest ceremony, make yourself -entirely at home, and tarry as long as it suits your inclination, be it -for a day or for a month. You create no flutter in the family, awaken no -apologies, and are greeted every morning with the same bright smile. It -is not a smile which flits over the countenance, and passes away like a -flake of moonlight over a marble tablet. It is the steady sunshine of -the soul within. - -If a stranger, you are not expected to bring a formal letter of -introduction. No one here thinks any the better of a man who carries the -credentials of his character and standing in his pocket. A word or an -allusion to recognized persons or places is sufficient. If you turn out -to be different from what your first impressions and fair speech -promised, still you meet with no frowning looks, no impatience for your -departure. You still enjoy in full that charity which suffereth long, -and is kind. The children are never told that you are a burden; you -enjoy their glad greetings and unsuspecting confidence to the last. And -when you finally depart, it will not be without a benison; not perhaps -that you are worthy of it; but you belong to the great human family, -where faults often spring from misfortune, and the force of untoward -circumstances. Generous, forbearing people of Monterey! there is more -true hospitality in one throb of your heart, than circulates for years -through the courts and capitals of kings. - - -TUESDAY, MARCH 16. Met Com. Biddle and Gen. Kearny to-day by -appointment, and gave them a history of California affairs from the time -the flag was raised. Both expressed a little surprise at some of the -events that had occurred, but neither called in question the wisdom of -the policy which had been pursued. The report of a disposition on the -part of these distinguished officers to cast reproach on events in -California, are without a shadow of foundation. Com. Biddle has not -come, it is true, to prosecute the measures of his predecessors, nor has -he come to repudiate them. He desires, so far as his instructions will -permit, to let them remain as he found them, and leave to time, that -moral touchstone of wisdom and folly, the tests of their expediency. - - -WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17. I met a Californian to-day with a guitar, from -which he was reeling off a merry strain, and asked him how it was -possible he could be so light-hearted while the flag of his country was -passing to the hands of the stranger. Oh, said the Californian, give us -the guitar and a fandango, and the devil take the flag. This reveals a -fact deeper than what meets the eye. The Californians as a community -never had any profound reverence for their nominal flag. They have -regarded it only as an evidence of their colonial relation to Mexico; a -relation for which they have felt neither affection nor pride. - - -THURSDAY, MARCH 18. A poor fellow came to me to-day, and complained that -his wife had run away with another man, and wanted I should advise him -what to do. I asked him if he desired her to come back; he said he did, -for he had five children who required her care. I told him he must then -keep still: the harder he chased a deer, the faster it would run; that -if he kept quiet she would soon circle back again to him. - -He hardly seemed to understand the philosophy of inaction: I told him -there was hardly an animal in the world that might not be won by doing -nothing; that the hare ran from us simply because we had chased it; that -a woman ran for the same reason, though generally with a different -motive: the one ran to escape, the other to be overtaken. He consented -to try the do-nothing plan, and in the mean time I shal try to catch the -villain who has covered an humble family with disaster. - - -THURSDAY, MARCH 25. A California mother complained to me to-day, that -her son, a full-grown youth, had struck her. Usage here allows a mother -to chastise her son as long as he remains unmarried and lives at home, -whatever may be his age, and regards a blow inflicted on a parent as a -high offence. I sent for the culprit; laid his crime before him, for -which he seemed to care but little; and ordered him to take off his -jacket, which was done. Then putting a riata into the hands of his -mother, whom nature had endowed with strong arms, directed her to flog -him. Every cut of the riata made the fellow jump from the floor. Twelve -lashes were enough; the mother did her duty, and as I had done mine, the -parties were dismissed. No further complaint from that quarter. - - -MONDAY, APRIL 12. The old prison being too confined and frail for the -safe custody of convicts, I have given orders for the erection of a new -one. The work is to be done by the prisoners themselves; they render the -building necessary, and it is but right they should put it up. Every -bird builds its own nest. The old one will hold an uninventive Indian, -but a veteran from Sidney or Sing Sing would work his way out like a -badger from his hole, which the school urchin had obstructed. I had an -experiment with one a few nights since, and he went through the roof -with ball and chain. How he ever reached the rafters, unless the man in -the moon magnetized him, I cannot conjecture. But out he got, and it -cost me a California chase to catch him. - - -THURSDAY, APRIL 16. Six of the crew of the Columbus ran from one of her -boats this morning. They cleared the town in a few minutes, and plunged -into a forest which shadows a mountain gorge. The officer of the boat -came with a request from Capt. Wyman that I would have them caught and -brought back. My constables were both absent, and I ordered three -Californians who were well mounted to go in pursuit. The native people -are always inclined to aid a sailor in his attempt to escape; they seem -to think he is of course running from oppression or wrong, when in nine -cases out of ten he is running upon some sudden impulse, and continues -the race because he has begun it. - -In this instance an order was given and it was obeyed; the sailors were -promptly apprehended and brought back. But had I offered a reward of -fifty dollars each for them, and left the Californians to pursue or not -as they preferred, not one of them would have been apprehended. I have -never known a Californian to molest a runaway sailor or soldier to -secure the reward offered. He will obey my order to arrest him, and he -would do the same if ordered to arrest his own brother, but he will not -do it to secure any pecuniary consideration. He seems to look upon it as -a breach of national hospitality. Were the De’il himself to call for a -night’s lodging, the Californian would hardly find it in his heart to -bolt the door. He would think they could manage against his horn hoof -and tail in some way. - - -SATURDAY, APRIL 18. The Pacific squadron having captured several prizes -not in a condition to be sent round the cape for adjudication in the -United States, the necessity of a court of admiralty here to determine -upon them, has induced Com. Biddle and Gen. Kearny to take the -responsibility of its organization. They have installed me in this new -office, invested with the authority which emanates through them from the -national executive, and the still higher sanctions derived _ex -necessitate rei_. And now comes the task of looking up those legal -authorities which may serve as guiding lights and safe precedents. But -even here, on this dim confine of civilization, loom to light all the -bright particular stars which have shed their rays on the intricacies of -national law and admiralty jurisprudence. We have the eloquent -commentaries of Kent, the able dissertations of Wheaton, the lucid -expositions of Chitty, and the authoritative decisions of Sir William -Scott. These, with half a dozen young lawyers ready to throw in their -own effulgent beam, as the glow-worm turns the sparkle in its tail to -the sun, will enable us perhaps to escape the breakers, where much -richer argosies than ours have been wrecked. But one thing is pretty -certain, my journal in the midst of all these perplexing duties will -find some breaks in it. I must hunt my rabbits, quail, and curlew, or -stagnate on beef; a sirloin may regale the hungry for a time, but even -that, if confined to it, palls on the appetite worse than a one-stringed -fiddle on the ear, or the low, wordless, monotonous grumble of a -discontented wife. - - -WEDNESDAY, MAY 12. A nest of gamblers arrived in town yesterday, and -last evening opened a monté at the hotel honored with the name of the -Astor House. I took a file of soldiers, and under cover of night reached -the hotel unsuspected, where I stationed them at the two doors which -afforded the only egresses from the building. In a moment I was on the -stairs which lead to the apartment where the gamesters were congregated. -I heard a whistle and then footsteps flying into every part of the -edifice. On entering the great chamber, not a being was visible save one -Sonoranian reclining against a large table, and composedly smoking his -cigarito. I passed the compliments of the evening with him, and desired -the honor of an introduction to his companions. - -At this moment a feigned snore broke on my ear from a bed in the corner -of the apartment.—“Ha! Dutre, is that you? Come, tumble up, and aid me -in stirring out the rest.” He pointed under the bed, where I discovered, -just within the drop of the valance a multitude of feet and legs -radiating as from a common centre. “Hallo there, friends—turn out!” and -out came some half-dozen or more, covered with dust and feathers, and -odorous as the nameless furniture left behind. Their plight and -discovery threw them into a laugh at each other. From this apartment, -accompanied by my secretary, I proceeded to others, where I found the -slopers stowed away in every imaginable position—some in the beds, some -under them, several in closets, two in a hogshead, and one up a chimney. -Mr. R——, from Missouri—known here under the soubriquet of “the -prairie-wolf”—I found between two bed-ticks, with his coat and boots on, -and half smothered with the feathers. He was the ringleader, and raises -a monté table wherever he goes as regularly as a whale comes to the -surface to blow. All shouted as he tumbled out from his ticks. Among the -rest I found the alcalde of San Francisco, a gentleman of education and -refinement, who never plays himself, but who, on this occasion, had come -to witness the excitement. I gathered them all, some fifty in number, -into the large saloon, and told them the only speech I had to make was -in the shape of a fine of twenty dollars each. The more astute began to -demur on the plea of not guilty, as no cards and no money had been -discovered; and as for the beds, a man had as good a right to sleep -under one as in it. I told them that was a matter of taste, misfortune -often made strange bedfellows, and the only way to get out of the scrape -was to pay up. Dr. S—— was the first to plank down. “Come, my good -fellows,” said the doctor, “pay up, and no grumbling; this money goes to -build a school-house, where I hope our children will be taught better -principles than they gather from the example of their fathers.” The -“prairie-wolf” planked down next, and in ten minutes the whole, -Chillanos, Sonoranians, Oregonians, Californians, Englices, Americanos, -delivered in their fines. These, with the hundred dollar fine of the -keeper of the hotel, filled quite a bag. With this I bade them good -night, and took my departure. I hope the doctor’s prediction will prove -true; certainly it shall not be my fault if it turns out a failure. In -all this there was not an angry look or petulant remark; they knew I was -doing my duty, and they felt that they atoned in part for a violation of -theirs through their fines. If you must hold office be an alcalde, be -absolute, but be upright, impartial, and humane. - - -THURSDAY, MAY 27. A ranchero, living some forty miles distant, not -liking his own land, had lifted his boundary line, and projected it some -six miles over that of his neighbor. Quite a lap this would be among -farmers in the United States, but a small slice here. I was called upon -to decide the difficulty. Taking with me from the public archives a -certified copy of the original grant to each of the rancheros, I -proceeded to the spot, where I found some twenty men under the shadow of -a great oak-tree, and each ready to locate the boundaries agreeably to -the interests of the party that had summoned him. I listened to the -stories of each, and then asked the ranchero, who had lifted his line, -to show me his grant. He drew it from his pocket—a document signed, -sealed, and delivered with all the formalities of law. I then drew out -the original, and found their topographical lines as much alike as the -here and there of an unresting squatter. The fact was, the man had two -grants; but the last one being a palpable invasion of his neighbor’s -domain, as secured to him under the seal of the state, he must of course -retreat within the limits of the first. A township of land being thus -judicially and justly disposed of, I started on my return; fell in with -a grizzly bear—levelled and fired—but without waiting to see if the ball -took effect, dashed on. A loadless rifle, with an enraged bear at your -heels, makes you value a fleet horse in California. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - A CONVICT WHO WOULD NOT WORK.—LAWYERS AT MONTEREY.—WHO CONQUERED - CALIFORNIA.—RIDE TO A RANCHO.—LEOPALDO.—PARTY OF CALIFORNIANS.—A - DASH INTO THE FORESTS.—CHASING A DEER.—KILLING A BEAR.—LADIES WITH - FIREARMS.—A MOTHER AND VOLUNTEER. - -FRIDAY, JUNE 18. One of the prisoners, who is an Englishman, ventured a -criticism on the stonework of another prisoner, which revealed the fact -of his being a stonecutter himself. I immediately sat him at work at his -old trade. But he feigned utter ignorance of it, and spoiled several -blocks in making his feint good. I then ordered him into a deep well, -where the water had given out, to drill and blast rocks. He drove his -drills here for several days, and finding that the well was to be sunk -some twenty or thirty feet deeper, concluded it was better for him to -work in the upper air, and requested that he might be permitted to try -his chisel again. Permission was given, and he is now shaping stones fit -to be laid in the walls of a cathedral. He was taken up for disorderly -conduct, and he is now at work on a school-house, where the principles -of good order are the first things to be taught. - - -SATURDAY, JUNE 19. We have at this time three young lawyers in Monterey, -as full of legal acuteness as the lancet cup of a phlebotomist. All want -clients, and fees, and the privilege of a practice in this court. -Mexican statutes, which prevail here, permit lawyers as counsel, but -preclude their pleas. They may examine witnesses, sift evidence, but not -build arguments. This spoils the whole business, and every effort has -been made to have the impediment removed and the floodgate of eloquence -lifted. I should be glad to gratify their ambition, but it is -impossible. I should never get through with the business pressing on my -hands in every variety of shape which civil and criminal jurisprudence -ever assumed. I tell them after the evidence has been submitted, the -verdict or decision must follow, and then if any in the court-room -desire to hear the arguments, they can adjourn to another apartment, and -plead as long as they like. In this way justice will go ahead, and -eloquence too, and the great globe still turn on its axle. - - -SATURDAY, JULY 17. Com. Stockton has left us on his return home over the -continent. His measures in California have been bold and vigorous, and -have been followed by decisive results. He found the country in anarchy -and confusion, and the greater part under the Mexican flag, and has left -it in peace and quietness beneath the stars and stripes. His position in -the march of the American forces from San Diego, and in the battle of -San Gabriel, has not been changed by any subsequent information in the -judgment of the candid and impartial. He tendered the command of the -expedition to Gen. Kearny, which that gallant officer deferred to the -commodore, out of regard to his position at the head of the naval forces -upon which the success of the enterprise must depend. The propriety of -this arrangement is seen in the fact that the general had but sixty -dragoons at his command, and those on foot, while the Pacific squadron -poured six hundred seamen and marines upon the field. There was no -confusion of orders or evolutions on the route; every general movement -emanated from Com. Stockton, with the good understanding and harmonious -action of Gen. Kearny. - -It is deeply to be regretted that any thing subsequently occurred to -disturb this spirit of mutual deference and generous devotion to the -crisis which pressed upon our arms. It is not my purpose to comment on -this feature in the affairs of California; but it is due to truth that -history should be set right; that facts warped from their true position -should be reinstated on their own pedestals. The army has covered itself -with laurels on the plains of Mexico, and might have won honors here -with an adequate force; but to rely on sixty dragoons in the face of a -thousand Californians, armed with the rifle and lance, and accustomed to -the saddle from their birth, is to trifle with the stern solemnities of -war. It is requiring too much of us, who have lived here through the -war, and are conversant with its history, to claim our assent to the -allegation, that California has been conquered through the achievements -of the army. _That_ unshrinking arm of the nation has done its work well -and fast elsewhere, but only the vibrations of its blows have trembled -across the confines of California. For matter of these the Mexican flag -would still be flying over these hills and valleys. The seamen or the -Pacific squadron, as reliable on land as faithful on the deck, and the -emigrants, who have come here to find a home, have wrenched this land of -wealth and promise from the grasp of Mexico, and unfurled the stars and -stripes, where they will wave evermore. Let the laurel light where it -belongs. - - -TUESDAY, AUG. 10. An Indian galloped to my door this morning, having in -lead a splendid pied horse, richly caparisoned, and with an invitation -from a ranchero, forty miles distant, that I would come and spend a few -days with him at his country-seat; so I placed the office in the hands -of Don Davido, well competent to its duties, and with my secretary, Mr. -G——, mounted on another noble animal, started for the mansion of my old -friend from the mountains of Spain, now in the winter of age, but with a -heart warm as a sunbeam. The town, with its white dwellings, soon -vanished behind the pine and evergreen oak, which crown the hills, that -throw around it their arms of waving shade. The little lakes, navelled -in the breaks of the forest, flashed on the eye; the water-fowl, in -clouds, took wing; the quail whirled into the bushes; and the deer -bounded off to their woodland retreats. A grizzly bear, with a storm of -darkness in his face, stood his ground, and never even blinked at the -crack of our pistols. - -We were now on the bank of the Salinas, through which we dashed, -allowing our horses a taste of its yellow waters, then up the opposite -bank, and away over the broad plain, which stretches in vernal beauty -beyond. Our horses required no spur, were in fine condition, high -spirits, never broke their gallop, and swept ahead, like a fawn to its -covert. Mine belonged to the daughter of the Don, to whose hearth we -were bound, and had often rattled about among these hills beneath his -fair owner, whose equestrian graces and achievements might throw a fresh -enchantment on the chase that had gathered to its rivalries the beauty -and bravery of Old England. Another mountain stream—a dash through its -foaming tide, and away again through a broad ravine, which bent its -ample track to the steep hills, which threw the shadows of their waving -trees over a thousand echoing caverns. Where the forests broke, the wild -oats waved, like golden lakes, and mirrored the passing cloud; while the -swaying pines rolled out their music on the wind, like the dirge of -ocean. And now another luxuriant plain, where cattle, and horses, and -sheep gambolled and grazed by thousands; and on the opposite side the -white mansion of our host, crowning the headland, and glimmering through -the waving shade, like the columns which consecrate Colonna. Here we -alighted without weariness to ourselves or our spirited animals, though -we had swept through the forty miles in three hours and a half. The -señorita, who had sent me her horse, vaulted into the saddle, which I -had just relinquished, and patting the noble fellow, whom she called -Leopaldo, induced him to exhibit a variety of his cunning evolutions. He -knew his rider as well as a Newfoundlander his mistress, or an eagle his -mountain mate. - -It was a festive eve at the Don’s; youth and beauty were there; and as -the sable hues of night sunk on silent tree and tower, the harp and -guitar woke into melodious action; the hour was late when the waltz and -song resigned their votaries to the calmer claims of slumber. My -apartment betrayed the rural diversions of some fairy, one whose floral -trophies threw their fragrance from every variety of vase. The air was -loaded with perfume, and could hardly be relieved by the visits of the -night-wind through the lifted window. My dreams ran on tulips and roses. -Morn blazed again in the east; the soaring lark sung from its cloud; the -guests were up, glad voices were heard in the hall; light forms glanced -through the corridors, and a _buenos dios_ rolled in sweet accents from -lips circled with smiles. Coffee and tortillas went round, mingled with -salutations and those first fresh thoughts which spring from the heart -like early birds from the tree, which the sunlight has touched, while -the dew yet sparkles on its leaves. The horses of the Don were now -driven to the door—a sprightly band—vieing in their hues with the -flowers that sprinkled the meadows where they gambolled, and the guests -were invited to make their selection. My choice fell, of course, on -Leopaldo, who had brought me from Monterey; but his fair owner would -want him; no, he was delivered to me, as the señorita took another quite -as full of fire. - -The ladies were now tost into their saddles, and the gentlemen, belted -and spurred, vaulted into theirs. We all struck at once into a hand -gallop, and swept over the broad plain which stretches from the -acropolis of the Don, to the broken line of a mountain range. Here we -spurred into a broad shadowy ravine, overhung with toppling crags, and -breaking through the bold ranges of rock, which threw their steep faces -in wild fantastic forms on the eye. “A coyote!” shouted those in the -van, and started in chase; but this prairie-wolf had his den near at -hand, and soon vanished from sight. Another, and a third, but the chasm -yielded its instant refuge. A fourth was started, who gave us a longer -pursuit; but he soon doubled from sight around a bold bluff into a -jungle. Here the horse of señorita S—— dashed ahead of the whole -caballada, with his dilated eye fastened on a noble buck, and swept up -the sloping side of the ravine to gain the ridge, and cut off his escape -in that direction, while the whole troop spurred hot and fast upon his -retreat below. We were now in for a chase, brief though it might be. The -buck seemed confused; and no wonder, with such a shouting bevy at his -heels, and with the señorita streaming along the ridge, and dashing over -chasm and cliff like the storm-swept cloud where “leaps the live -thunder.” But the proud buck was not to be captured in this way; and as -soon as the other side of the ravine began to slope from its steep line, -up its bank he sprung, and bounded along its ridge as if in exulting -rivalry at the rattling chase of the señorita. “Two _deers_,” shouted -one of the caballeros, “and neither of them to be caught.” - -We here wheeled into another mountain gorge, which opened into a long -irregular vista of savage wildness. A gallop of two or three miles -brought us to a spot where the rocky barriers retreated on either hand, -shaping out a bowl, in the centre of which stood a cluster of oaks. On -the lower limb of one, which threw its giant arm boldly from the rough -trunk, a dark object was descried, half lost in the leaves. “A bear, a -bear!” shouted our leader, and dashed up to the tree, which was -instantly surrounded by the whole troop, “Give us pistols,” exclaimed -the señoritas, as bravely in for the sport as the rest. Click, crack! -and a storm of balls went through the tree-top. Down came old bruin with -one bound into the midst, full of wrath and revenge. The horses -instinctively wheeled into a circle, and as bruin sprung for a -death-grapple, the lasso of our baccaros, thrown with unerring aim, -brought him up all standing. He now turned upon the horse of his new -assailant; but that sagacious animal evaded each plunge, and seemed to -play in transport about his antagonist. The pistols were out again, and -a fresh volley fell thick as hail around the bear. In the smoke and -confusion no one could tell where his next spring might be; but the -horse of the baccaro knew his duty and kept the lasso taught. Bruin was -wounded, but resolute and undaunted; the fire rolled from his red eyes -like a flash of lightning out of a forked cloud. Foiled in his plunges -at the horse, he seized the lasso in his paws, and in a moment more -would have been at his side, but the horse sprung and tripped him, -rolling him over and over till he lost his desperate hold on the lasso. -The pistols were reloaded, and señoritas and caballeros all dashed up -for another shower of fire and lead. As the smoke cleared, bruin was -found with the lasso slack, a sure evidence that the horse who managed -it knew his antagonist was dead. - -This was sport enough for one day; we galloped on through the defile, -which wound round a mountain spur, till it struck a precipitous stream, -which sent into the green nooks the wild echoes of its cascades. -Following the ravine through which it poured its more tranquil tide, we -debouched at length upon the plain, crowned with the hospitable mansion -of our host. The feats of the morning astonished even the old Don, who -offered his favorite roan to the one whose bullet had killed the bear. -The meed was challenged by each and all, but no one could make good and -exclusive claim. The gentlemen relinquished their claim, but that only -made the matter worse, as it narrowed the contest to the circle of the -señoritas. Dinner was announced; then came the siesta, followed by the -soft twilight, with the harp, guitar, and song, which melted away into -sweet sleep. In the morning Mr. G. and myself, with the glorious -Leopaldo, waved our adieu, and returned to Monterey. - - -MONDAY, SEPT. 6. A mother, who lives with a man out of wedlock, applied -to me this morning to take her two daughters from an aunt, with whom -they were living, and place them in another family. When asked for her -reasons, she stated that this aunt had not a good reputation, and though -bad herself, she did not want to see her daughters so. I told her she -could hardly expect me to make her daughters better than their mother; -that parental example was stronger than law; that if she wanted to keep -her daughters pure, she must be so herself. She shed tears: I said no -more; but ordered her daughters into the family where she desired. - - -TUESDAY, SEPT. 7. One of the volunteers broke into my coral last night, -with the intention of reaching the hen-roost, but was frightened nearly -to death by a discharge of mustard-seed from an old fowling-piece, with -which my servant had armed himself for the protection of his poultry. -Some of the volunteers, and I hope much the larger portion, are upright, -honest men, but there are others who will steal any thing and every -thing, from a horse to a hen. One of the evils of a soldier’s lot is, -that the good are often confounded with the bad. But every profession -suffers in the same way. - - -FRIDAY, SEPT. 10. Our bay is full of sardines; an Indian jumped into the -surf and scooped up for me, with his blanket, half a peck in a few -minutes. The pelican follows these small fish, and pounces down upon -them with a savage ferocity. There is something in such a sudden -destruction of life, even in a minnow, which you don’t like. I have -often wished the bird just shot again on the wing. - - -We are looking every moment for the return of the Cyane, under Commander -Du Pont, from the Sandwich Islands, where she has been on important -service. She is the water-witch of the Pacific—if ceaseless motion can -claim that honor. Her commander enjoys so thoroughly the confidence and -affection of his officers and crew, they go with him through all this -exhausting service without a murmur. It is a happy tact that can -maintain discipline and wield at any moment the whole moral and physical -power of such a ship. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - A CALIFORNIA PIC-NIC.—SEVENTY AND SEVENTEEN IN THE DANCE.—CHILDREN IN - THE GROVE.—A CALIFORNIA BEAR-HUNT.—THE BEAR AND BULL BATED.—THE - RUSSIAN’S CABBAGE HEAD. - -WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 22. The lovers of rural pastimes were on an early stir -this morning with their pic-nic preparations. Basket after basket, -freighted with ham, poultry, game, pies, and all kinds of pastry, took -their course in the direction of a wood which stands three miles from -town, and shades a sloping cove in the strand of the sea. The sky was -without a cloud, and the brooding fog had lifted its dusky wings from -the face of the bright waters. At every door the impatient steed, gayly -caparisoned, was waiting his rider. Into the saddle youth and age -vaulted together, while the araba rolled forward with its living freight -of laughing childhood. The dogs swept on before, barking in chorus, and -flaring the gay ribbon which some happy child had fastened round the -neck. - -This mingled tide of health and social gladness flowed on to the grove -of pine and birch, which threw their branching arms in a verdant canopy -over a plat of green grass, which had been shorn close to the level -earth. Around this arena strayed every variety of twig-inwoven seat, -where matron and maiden, in the flow of the heart, forgot their -disparity of years. The children wreathed each other’s locks with -coronals of flowers, the soft breeze whispered in the pines, and the -little billow murmured its music on the strand. And now the violin, the -harp, and guitar woke the bounding dance. Forth upon the green the man -of seventy, still erect and tall, led the blooming girl of sixteen. Age -had whitened his locks, but the light of an unclouded spirit still -rolled in his eye, and the salient bound of youth still dwelt in his -limbs. His young partner, with her tresses of raven darkness, inwoven -with snow-white flowers,—with a cheek, where the mantling tide of health -was curbed into a blush—and a step light and elastic as that of the -gazelle, seemed as one of Flora’s train, just lighted there to swim in -youth and beauty in the wild woodland merriment. By the side of these, -others, in mingled youth and age, lead down the double files, and -balance and whirl in the mazy measures which roll from the orchestral -band. As these retire, others still spring to the arena, and the dance -goes on, ever changing, and still the same. No faltering step delays its -feathered feet, no glance of envy disturbs its love-lit smiles, no look -of clouded care overshadows its real mirth: - - “The garlands, the rose-odors, and the flowers, - The sparkling eyes, and flashing ornaments, - The white arms and the raven hair, the braids - And bracelets, swan-like bosoms, the thin robes - Floating like light clouds ’twixt our gaze and heaven.” - -And now they glide to the tables, which stretch away under the -embowering trees, and where the rich larder has emptied its choicest -stores. There the savory venison scents the still air, and the wild -strawberries blush between the green leaves. There the domestic fowl, -the swift-footed hare, and the timid quail have met in strange -brotherhood. There the juice of the native grape, and the cool wave of -the gushing rock, sparkle in the flowing goblet. These were discussed, -and the festive board was relinquished to the children, who were too -full of glee to note if aught more than the fruit and confectionery -remained. The ripe berry sought in vain to add color to their lips, or -rival the bloom which lent its rosy hue to the round cheek. Golden locks -floated around eyes which sparkled with light and love, and the accents -of gladness rung out in joyous peals, like the song of birds when the -storm-cloud has passed. - - “Theirs was the shout! the song! the burst of joy! - Which sweet from childhood’s rosy lip resoundeth; - Theirs was the eager spirit naught could cloy, - And the glad heart from which all grief reboundeth.” - -The music from the harp and guitar streamed out again, and the green -plat was full of glancing forms, where youth and age, maternal dignity -and maiden charms, led down the merry dance. As these glided to their -seats, childhood crowned with wild-flowers sprung to the arena, with -motions light as the measures through which it whirled its infantile -forms. A sylvan Pan might have fancied his fays had left their -green-wood covert to frolic on the green beneath the soft light of the -dying day. But ere the evening star ascended its watch-tower the merry -groups were on their fleet steeds, bounding over hill and valley to -their homes. The shadows of the moonlit trees fell in softness and -silence where all this mirth had been; only the silver tones of the -streamlets were heard as they murmured their music in the ear of night. -The echoes of our voices will all cease in the places that have known us -as we glide at last to the “dim bourn,” nor will a leaflet tremble long -in the breath of memory. The myriads who people the past are still, the -stir of their existence is over, the great ocean of their being is at -rest. The wandering wind only sighs over their tombless repose. - - -FRIDAY, OCT. 10. Captain Hull, who has been out here nearly four years -in command of the Warren, left us to-day for the United States. He has -rendered good service to the country during his long exile. May -prosperous breezes waft him safely to his distant home. Lieut. J. B. -Lanman succeeds to the command of the Warren; an officer justly esteemed -for his gentlemanly deportment and professional intelligence. It is this -foreign duty that puts the competency and fidelity of an officer to the -test. It is easy to carry on duty at a navy yard, but duty on board ship -with a heterogeneous crew, is another thing; it calls for the last -resources of the officer, in the maintenance of discipline, harmony, and -efficiency. - -For a person who has been but a few months in a man-of-war, and never -been at sea in any other situation, to attempt to enlighten the public -on the discipline of the navy, or any of the duties which belong on -board ship, is an exhibition of impertinent vanity. He has no practical -knowledge of the subjects upon which he is delivering his sage lecture. -He has a certain theory with which he proposes to test the wisdom or -folly, the humanity or cruelty, of every thing in the service; and when -this theory gets snagged, which is often the case, he is for rooting out -the whole concern. He don’t reflect that his land theory is as much out -of its element at sea as a stranded porpoise would be out of his. All -the habits and usages of a man-of-war, are heaven wide of those which -obtain on land. They require rules and regulations suited to their -genius. Reforms must necessarily be of slow growth; they must take root -in the service itself, and not in the novelties of any land theory. - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 28. The king of all field-sports in California is the -bear-hunt: I determined to witness one, and for this purpose joined a -company of native gentlemen bound out on this wild amusement. All were -well mounted, armed with rifles and pistols, and provided with lassoes. -A ride of fifteen miles among the mountain crags, which frown in stern -wildness over the tranquil beauty of Monterey, brought us to a deserted -shanty, in the midst of a gloomy forest of cypress and oak. In a break -of this swinging gloom lay a natural pasture, isled in the centre by a -copse of willows and birch, and on which the sunlight fell. This, it was -decided, should be the arena of the sport: a wild bullock was now shot, -and the quarters, after being trailed around the copse, to scent the -bear, were deposited in its shade. The party now retired to the shanty, -where our henchman tumbled from his panniers several rolls of bread, a -boiled ham, and a few bottles of London porter. These discussed, and our -horses tethered, each wrapped himself in his blanket, and with his -saddle for his pillow, rolled down for repose. - -At about twelve o’clock of the night our watch came into camp and -informed us that a bear had just entered the copse. In an instant each -sprung to his feet and into the saddle. It was a still, cloudless night, -and the moonlight lay in sheets on rivulet, rock, and plain. We -proceeded with a cautious, noiseless step, through the moist grass of -the pasture to the copse in its centre, where each one took his station, -forming a cordon around the little grove. The horse was the first to -discover, through the glimmering shade, the stealthful movements of his -antagonist. His ears were thrown forward, his nostrils distended, his -breathing became heavy and oppressed, and his large eye was fixed -immovably on the dim form of the savage animal. Each rider now uncoiled -his lasso from its loggerhead, and held it ready to spring from his -hand, like a hooped serpent from the brake. The bear soon discovered the -trap that had been laid for him; plunged from the thicket, broke through -the cordon, and was leaping, with giant bounds, over the cleared plot -for the dark covert of the forest beyond. A shout arose—a hot pursuit -followed, and lasso after lasso fell in curving lines around the bear, -till at last one looped him around the neck and brought him to a -momentary stand. - -As soon as bruin felt the lasso, he growled his defiant thunder, and -sprung in rage at the horse. Here came in the sagacity of that noble -animal. He knew, as well as his rider, that the safety of both depended -on his keeping the lasso taught, and without the admonitions of rein or -spur, bounded this way and that, to the front or rear, to accomplish his -object, never once taking his eye from the ferocious foe, and ever in an -attitude to foil his assaults. The bear, in desperation, seized the -lasso in his griping paws, and hand over hand drew it into his teeth: a -moment more and he would have been within leaping distance of his -victim; but the horse sprung at the instant, and, with a sudden whirl, -tripped the bear and extricated the lasso. At this crowning feat the -horse fairly danced with delight. A shout went up which seemed to shake -the wild-wood with its echoes. The bear plunged again, when the lasso -slipped from its loggerhead, and bruin was instantly leaping over the -field to reach his jungle. The horse, without spur or rein, dashed after -him. While his rider, throwing himself over his side, and hanging there -like a lamper-eel to a flying sturgeon, recovered his lasso, bruin was -brought up again all standing, more frantic and furious than before; -while the horse pranced and curveted around him like a savage in his -death-dance over his doomed captive. In all this no overpowering torture -was inflicted on old bruin, unless it were through his own rage,—which -sometimes towers so high he drops dead at your feet. He was now lassoed -to a sturdy oak, and wound so closely to its body by riata over riata, -as to leave him no scope for breaking or grinding off his clankless -chain; though his struggles were often terrific as those of Laocoon, in -the resistless folds of the serpent. - -This accomplished, the company retired again to the shanty, but in -spirits too high and noisy for sleep. Day glimmered, and four of the -baccaros started off for a wild bull, which they lassoed out of a roving -herd, and in a few hours brought into camp, as full of fury as the bear. -Bruin was now cautiously unwound, and stood front to front with his -horned antagonist. We retreated on our horses to the rim of a large -circle, leaving the arena to the two monarchs of the forest and field. -Conjectures went wildly round on the issue, and the excitement became -momently more intense. They stood motionless, as if lost in wonder and -indignant astonishment at this strange encounter. Neither turned from -the other his blazing eyes; while menace and defiance began to lower in -the looks of each. Gathering their full strength, the terrific rush was -made: the bull missed, when the bear, with one enormous bound, dashed -his teeth into his back to break the spine; the bull fell, but whirled -his huge horn deep into the side of his antagonist. There they lay, -grappled and gored, in their convulsive struggles and death-throes. We -spurred up, and with our rifles and pistols closed the tragedy; and it -was time: this last scene was too full of blind rage and madness even -for the wild sports of a California bear-hunt. - - -TUESDAY, NOV. 2. Byron says, a hog in a high wind is a poetical object. -Had he lived here, he might have put a mischievous boy on the top of -that grotesque animal, and it would have helped out the poetical image -immensely. The boys here begin their equestrianism on the back of a hog -or bullock, and end it on the saddle, to which they seem to grow like a -muscle to a rock. - - -WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3. A Russian, who carries on a farm at Santa Cruz, -called at my office a few days since, and presented me with a cabbage -head. I was sure from this garden gift, the old Cossack had something in -tow yet out of sight; but it soon came in the shape of a request that I -would summon a debtor of his, and order payment. - -The creditor of the Russian proved to be a young Frenchman, who had run -away with the old man’s daughter, married her, and then quartered -himself and wife on her father. I told the Frenchman he must pay board, -or run away again with his wife; but if he came back he must satisfy -arrears: so he concluded to run. This running before the honey-moon is -pleasant enough; but running after that sweet orb has waned, is rather a -dismal business. - - -Col. Burton, with his command, is in Lower California, where he has -maintained the flag against desperate odds. His officers and men have -acquitted themselves with honor. The powder and ball of the enemy were -smuggled in by an American—a wretch who ought to be shot himself. - - -MONDAY, NOV. 8. After being six months without rain, the first shower of -the season fell this evening. Its approach had been announced for -several days by a dim atmosphere, which was filled with a soft, thick -vapor, that swung about, like a limitless cloud. The rain itself was -warm, and sunk into the earth like flattery into the heart of a fool. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - A CALIFORNIAN JEALOUS OF HIS WIFE.—HOSPITALITY OF THE NATIVES.—HONORS - TO GUADALUPE.—APPLICATION FROM A LOTHARIO FOR A DIVORCE.—CAPTURE OF - MAZATLAN.—LARCENY OF CANTON SHAWLS.—AN EMIGRANT’S WIFE CLAIMING TO - HAVE TAKEN THE COUNTRY.—A WILD BULLOCK IN MAIN-STREET. - -SATURDAY, NOV. 20. I was tumbled out of my dreams last night by a -succession of rapid and heavy knocks at my office door. Unbarring it, I -found Giuseppe, a townsman, who stated, under an excitement that almost -choked his voice, that he had just returned from the Salinas; that on -entering his house he had discovered, through the window in the door -leading to his bedroom, by the clear light of the moon, which shone into -the apartment, a man reposing on his pillow by the side of his faithless -spouse, and desired me to come and arrest him. I had understood that the -sposa had not the reputation of the “icicle that hung on Dian’s temple,” -and had no great confidence in Giuseppe’s domestic virtues either; but -that was no valid reason why he should be so unceremoniously ousted of -his domestic claims. I therefore ordered the constable, whom this -midnight noise had now awoke, to go with him and bring the culprit -before me. - -Off they started, well armed with batons and revolvers. On reaching the -premises the house was carefully reconnoitred, and every egress from the -building securely bolted. They were now inside, and had conducted their -operations so silently they were unsuspected. The door leading to the -bedroom was at the other end of the hall; they crept over the floor with -steps so low and soft, each heard his heart beat, and the clock seemed -to strike instead of ticking its seconds. Giuseppe’s thoughts ran— - - “I’ll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove; - And, on the proof, there is no more but this.” - -Through the panes of glass which relieved the panels of the door, they -saw in the faint moonlight, which fell through the opposite window, the -dark locks of the guilty intruder flowing over the husband’s pillow. “I -have a mind,” whispered Giuseppe, “to rush in and plunge my knife at -once to his cursed heart.” “No, no;” returned my faithful constable, “we -are here to execute the orders of the alcalde, and if you are going to -take the law into your own hands I will leave you. Hush! hark! he stirs! -No; it was the shadow of the tree that frecks the moonlight.” All was -still and waveless again. The door was on the jar, and drawing one good -long relieving breath, in they rushed, and seized——what? A muff! The -husband could not believe his own eyes, and mussed the muff up, jerking -it this way and that, as if to ascertain if there was not a man inside -of it. “You return late, Giuseppe,” murmured his wife, scarce yet awake. -“Oh, yes, yes, my dear, late, late,” stammered the husband. “You have a -friend with you,” continued the unsuspecting sposa. “Yes, my darling; a -friend from the Salinas, whom I have invited to take a night’s lodging,” -replied Giuseppe. “Well, you will find a bed for him in the opposite -room, and a candle and matches on the table,” rejoined the sposa. So the -twain went out, and having disturbed the bed assigned the friend -sufficiently to give it the appearance of having been slept in, my -constable slipped out and came home, denouncing all jealous husbands and -ladies’ muffs. This fluster cost me two hours’ sleep, and Giuseppe a fee -of three dollars to the constable. He would have paid forty times that -sum to get free of the joke. Nothing so completely confounds a -Californian as to find himself the dupe of his suspicions. It is more -vexatious than the wrong which his mistaken anger sought to avenge. -Mutual confidence is the basis of all domestic endearment, and the cause -which is allowed to disturb it, should be as weighty as the happiness it -wrecks. So reads my homily. - - -TUESDAY, DEC. 7. There are no people that I have ever been among who -enjoy life so thoroughly as the Californians. Their habits are simple; -their wants few; nature rolls almost every thing spontaneously into -their lap. Their cattle, horses, and sheep roam at large—not a blade of -grass is cut, and none is required. The harvest waves wherever the -plough and harrow have been; and the grain which the wind scatters this -year, serves as seed for the next. The slight labor required is more a -diversion than a toil; and even this is shared by the Indian. They -attach no value to money, except as it administers to their pleasures. A -fortune, without the facilities of enjoying it, is with them no object -of emulation or envy. Their happiness flows from a fount that has very -little connection with their outward circumstances. - -There is hardly a shanty among them which does not contain more true -contentment, more genuine gladness of the heart, than you will meet with -in the most princely palace. Their hospitality knows no bounds; they are -always glad to see you, come when you may; take a pleasure in -entertaining you while you remain; and only regret that your business -calls you away. If you are sick, there is nothing which sympathy and -care can devise or perform which is not done for you. No sister ever -hung over the throbbing brain or fluttering pulse of a brother with more -tenderness and fidelity. This is as true of the lady whose hand has only -figured her embroidery or swept her guitar, as of the cottage-girl -wringing from her laundry the foam of the mountain stream; and all this -from the _heart_! If I must be cast in sickness or destitution on the -care of the stranger, let it be in California; but let it be before -American avarice has hardened the heart and made a god of gold. - - -MONDAY, DEC. 13. A Californian, who had been absent some two years in -Mexico, where he had led a gay irregular life, finding or fancying on -his return grounds for suspecting the regularity of his wife, applied to -me for a decree of divorce, _a vinculo matrimonii_. I told him that it -was necessary, that on so grave a subject, he should come into court -with clean hands; that if he would swear on the Cross, at the peril of -his soul, that he had been faithful himself during his long absence, I -would then see what could be done with his wife. He wanted to know if -that was United States law; I told him it was the law by which I was -governed—the law of the Bible—and a good law, too—let him that is -without sin cast the first stone. “Then I cannot cast any stone at all, -sir,” was the candid reply. “Then go and live with your wife; she is as -good as you are, and you cannot require her to be any better.” He took -my advice, is now living with his wife, and difficulties seem to have -ceased. Nothing disarms a man like the conscious guilt of the offence -for which he would arraign another. - - -TUESDAY, DEC. 21. The old church bell has been ringing out all the -morning in honor of Guadalupe, the patron saint of California. Her -festivities commenced last evening in illuminated windows, bonfires, the -flight of rockets, and the loud mirth of children. I wonder if Guadalupe -knows or cares much about these exhibitions of devotional glee. Can the -shout of boyhood around the crackling bonfire reach to her celestial -pavillion? can the flambeau throw its tremulous ray so far? will she -bend her ear from the golden lyres of heaven to catch the sound of a -torpedo vibrating up over the cloud-cataracts which thunder between? If -Guadalupe be in heaven, where I hope she is, she has done with the -crackers and bonfires of earth, and heeds them as little as the -glow-worm that glimmers on her grave. But let the old bell peal on; it -matters but little whether it be for this saint or that; it is only a -metallic hosanna to either. There is more true homage in one silent -prayer, breathed from the depths of a meek confiding heart, than in all -the peals ever rung from cathedral towers. The only worship which -approaches that of a resigned heart is the hymn of the forest, as its -leaves in the fading twilight softly tremble to rest. He who can listen -unmoved to these vesper melodies, can have no sensibility in his soul, -and no God in his creed. When this fevered being shall sink to rest, let -me be laid beneath some green tree, whose vernal leaves shall whisper -their music over my sleep. And yet it would be lonely were there none -beloved in life to linger there in death. - - When the bright sun upon that spot is shining - With purest ray, - And the small shrubs their buds and blossoms twining, - Burst through that clay, - Will there be one still on that spot refining - Lost hopes away? - - -WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22. We are now carrying the war into the enemy’s camp; -the Pacific squadron, under the broad pennant of Com. Shubrick, is in -front of Mazatlan. That important position was captured on the twelfth -ult., and is now garrisoned by three hundred and fifty seamen and -marines. Capt. Lavelette, well qualified by his intelligence, urbanity, -and moral firmness for the post, is governor of the town. The country -around, and all the great avenues leading through it, are in the hands -of the enemy, who can, at any moment, bring two thousand horsemen into -the field. They only want a leader of sufficient resolution, and they -might force our garrison upon the last resource of their courage and -strength. But Gen. Telles is weak and vacillating, and has not the -confidence even of the troops which he commands; while many of the -citizens, who have property at issue, prefer the protection extended to -them under the flag, to the anarchy and confusion into which they might -be thrown by the success of their own arms. It was a bold and decisive -movement on the part of our commodore, and executed with a vigor that -has impressed itself on the apprehensions of Mexico. Our flag now waves -from ocean to ocean, through the plains and mountain fastnesses of that -dismayed country. - - -FRIDAY, JAN. 7. The captain of a merchant ship complained to me this -morning, that one of his crew had taken a package of rich Canton shawls -on shore, and clandestinely disposed of them. I had the sailor before -me, and wormed out of him the name of every person, as he alleged, with -whom he had communicated; but he omitted the name of one suspicious -character. I took the constable, and went immediately to her house, and -demanded the shawls: she seemed shocked, and denied all knowledge of -them. Her manner half staggered me; but I told the constable to take her -to prison, not intending, however, to put her in without some evidence -of her guilt; but she had not gone many steps from her door before her -resolution, which had been as firm as adamant, broke down, and she told -where the shawls might be found. They were secreted in the mattress of -her bed; and the whole fifteen were recovered. Had the sailor mentioned -her name among the rest, I should have been extremely puzzled. A seeming -frankness is often the deepest disguise. - - -SATURDAY, JAN. 8. An assistant alcalde, residing at San Juan, in -reporting a case that came before him, states that one of the witnesses, -not having a good reputation for veracity, he thought it best to swear -him pretty strongly; so he swore him on the Bible, on the cross, by the -holy angels, by the blessed Virgin, and on the _twelve_ Evangelists. I -have written him for some information about eight of his evangelists, as -I have no recollection of having met with but four in my biblical -readings. - - -MONDAY, JAN. 10. A woman, from our western border, who had drifted into -California over the mountains, and looking as if she had well survived -the hardships of the way, walked into my office this morning, and rather -demanded, than invoked, a decree, that her husband might cut timber on -the lands of Señor M——. I asked her if her husband had rented the land. -“No.” If he had any contract or agreement with the owner. “No.” “Why -then, my woman, do you claim the right of cutting the timber?” “Right, -sir!” she exclaimed; “why, have we not taken the country?” I told her it -was true, we had taken the country; but we had not taken the private -land titles with it: she seemed to think that was a distinction without -a difference. This anecdote will furnish a clue to the spirit with which -the patient Californians have had to contend. - - -TUESDAY, JAN. 18. Main-street was thrown into confusion this morning by -a wild bullock, who had broken the lasso of his keeper. He plunged down -the peopled avenue in foaming fury, clothed with all the terrors of the -Apocalyptic beast: men, women, and children fled in every direction. I -was standing at the moment in the portico of our Navy Agent, and before -I could clear it, he swept through a corner, dashing to the earth a huge -stanchion. His next rencounter was with the high paling which protected -a shade-tree, and which he carried off as Samson the gates of Gaza. -Something attracted his flashing eyes to the door of a small dwelling; -in an instant it flew into fragments before his impetuous strength -fortunately it contained no tenant except the wild monster himself, who -soon issued from the door, and seemed for a moment lost in his phrensy. -A caballero, mounted on a spirited horse, and with his lasso whirling -high in air, now rushed up; I expected for a moment to see a desperate -plunge from the beast at the courser’s side, but the rider and his steed -understood their occupation too well; the lasso fell over his horn, and -in an instant he was tumbling in the sand. He recovered himself, but it -was only to be thrown again, till a second lasso secured his flying -heels, and the knife of the Indian finished the rest. A wave of lava let -loose from its crater, an avalanche that has slipped from its Alpine -steep, and a wild bull that has broken his lasso, are among the most -terrific objects that dash on human vision. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - RAINS IN CALIFORNIA.—FUNCTIONS OF THE ALCALDE OF MONTEREY.—ORPHANS IN - CALIFORNIA.—SLIP OF THE GALLOWS ROPE.—MAKING A FATHER WHIP HIS - BOY.—A CONVICT AS PRISON COOK.—THE KANACKA.—THOM. COLE.—A MAN - ROBBING HIMSELF.—A BLACKSMITH OUTWITTED. - -MONDAY, FEB. 7. The rains in California are mostly confined to the three -winter months—a few showers may come before, or a few occur after, but -the body of the rain falls within that period. The rain is relieved of -nearly all the chilling discomforts of a winter’s storm in other climes; -it falls only when the wind is from a southern quarter, and is -consequently warm and refreshing. It is by no means continuous; it pays -its visits like a judicious lover—with intervals sufficient to keep up -the affection; and like the suitor, brings with it flowers, and leads -the fair one by the side of streamlets never wrinkled with frost, and -into groves where the leaf never withers, and where the songs of birds -ever fill the warbling air. - - -THURSDAY, FEB. 10. By the laws and usages of the country, the judicial -functions of the Alcalde of Monterey extend to all cases, civil and -criminal, arising within the middle department of California. He is also -the guardian of the public peace, and is charged with the maintenance of -law and order, whenever and wherever threatened, or violated; he must -arrest, fine, imprison, or sentence to the public works, the lawless and -refractory, and he must enforce, through his executive powers, the -decisions and sentences which he has pronounced in his judicial -capacity. His prerogatives and official duties extend over all the -multiplied interests and concerns of his department, and reach to every -grievance and crime, from the jar that trembles around the domestic -hearth, to the guilt which throws its gloom on the gallows and the -grave. - - -THURSDAY, FEB. 17. There is no need of an Orphan Asylum in California. -The amiable and benevolent spirit of the people hovers like a shield -over the helpless. The question is not, who shall be burdened with the -care of an orphan, but who shall have the privilege of rearing it. Nor -do numbers or circumstances seem to shake this spirit; it is triumphant -over both. A plain, industrious man, of rather limited means, applied to -me to-day for the care of six orphan children. I asked him how many he -had of his own; he said fourteen as yet. “Well, my friend,” I observed, -“are not fourteen enough for one table, and especially with the prospect -of more?” “Ah,” said the Californian, “the hen that has twenty chickens -scratches no harder than the hen that has one.” So I told him I would -inquire into the present condition of the children, and then decide on -his application. His claim lay in the fact that his wife was the -godmother of the orphans. - - -WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23. One of my Indian prisoners, sentenced to the works -for theft, managed this morning to effect his escape, but was overtaken -by the constable on the Salinas, and brought back. When asked by me what -he ran for, he said the devil put it into his head. I asked him if he -thought a ball and chain would keep the evil one off; he said it might, -but then if he once got at him, he should stand no chance with one of -his legs chained. I told him I should let his leg go for the present, -but if he attempted to run again, I should chain both of them. “And my -hands too,” said the Indian, to assure me of his good conduct. - - -FRIDAY, MARCH 3. There is an old Mexican law, or usage, here, which has -sometimes exempted from death the murderer who has reached the sanctuary -of the church, or been favored with some accident, in the execution of -the extreme sentence. Two desperadoes, of Mexican and Indian blood, were -brought before me, charged with a wilful, deliberate murder. A jury of -twelve citizens, the largest scope of challenge having been allowed, was -empannelled. The prisoners were convicted and sentenced to be hung. But -by some strange accident, or design, both knots slipped, and down they -came, half imagining themselves still swinging in the air. The priest -who confessed them, and who was present among the great crowd, -immediately declared the penalty paid and the criminals absolved, and -started post-haste to Gen. Mason for his mandate to that effect. The -general told him the prisoners were sentenced to be hung by the neck -till dead, and when this sentence had been executed, the knot-slipping -business might perhaps be considered. This may seem to have been -dictated by a want of humanity, but had the accident or stratagem in -question rescued the criminals, not a noose in California would have -held. The murderers were executed, and the crime for which they suffered -vanished from the future records of the court. - - -WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15. A lad of fourteen years was brought before me -to-day charged with stealing a horse. The evidence of the larceny was -conclusive; but what punishment to inflict was the question. We have no -house of correction, and to sentence him to the ball and chain on the -public works, among hardened culprits, was to cut off all hope of -amendment, and inflict an indelible stigma on the youth; so I sent for -his father, who had no good reputation himself, and placing a riata in -his hand, directed him to inflict twenty-four lashes on his thieving -boy. He proceeded as far as twelve, when I stopped him; they were -enough. They seemed inflicted by one attempting to atone in this form -for his own transgressions. “Inflict the rest, Soto, on your own evil -example; if you had been upright yourself, you might expect truth and -honesty in your boy; you are more responsible than this lad for his -crimes; you can never chastise him into the right path, and continue -yourself to travel in the wrong.” With these remarks I dismissed the -parties. - - -SATURDAY, MARCH 18. Horse-stealing has given me more trouble than any -other species of offence in California. It has grown out of a loose -habit of using the horses of other people without their consent, at a -time when they were of very little account; and what was once a venial -trespass has become a crime. It is very difficult to arrest it; much -must be left to time, the higher influences of moral sentiments, and the -administration of more specific laws. Nor are the Americans here a whit -better than the natives; they have a facility of conscience which easily -suits itself to any prevailing vice. Many of them appear to have left -their good principles on the other side of Cape Horn, or over the Rocky -Mountains. They slide into gambling, drinking, and cheating, as easily -as a frog into its native pond. They seem only the worse for the -restraints, which law at home partially exerted. They are like a froward -urchin who retaliates the wholesome visits of the birch by some act of -fresh audacity the moment he is beyond its reach. But they will find a -little law even in California, and this little enforced with some -steadiness of purpose. It is not the law which threatens loudest that -always exerts the greatest restraint. Thunder, with all its uproar, -don’t strike; it is the lightning that cleaves the gnarled oak. - - -THURSDAY, MARCH 23. A clergyman, who had just arrived in California, -called on me to-day, with letters of introduction from several of the -first rectors in New York. They spoke of him in high terms of -commendation, and invited that confidence and regard which might secure -him success in his foreign adventure; while they knew him to be a -loquacious shallow booby. They had probably been so much annoyed by him -in one shape and another, that they had taken this method of getting rid -of him, thinking that the afflictions of Providence, like his blessings, -should be more equally distributed. - - -SATURDAY, MARCH 25. To-day I remitted the sentence of my prison cook. He -is a Mulatto, a native of San Domingo; had drifted into California; was -attached, in a subordinate capacity, to Col. Fremont’s battalion; and -while the troops were quartered in town, had robbed the drawer of a -liquor shop of two hundred dollars. For this offence, I had sentenced -him to two years on the public works. Discovering early some reliable -traits about the fellow, I began to confide in him, soon made him cook -to the rest of the prisoners, and allowed him the privileges of the -town, so far as his duties in that capacity required. He has never -betrayed my trust, and has always been the first to communicate to me -any stratagem on the part of the prisoners to effect their escape. I -have trusted him with money to purchase provisions, and he has -faithfully accounted for every shilling. He has always been kind and -attentive to the sick. For these faithful services, I have remitted the -remainder of his sentence, which would have confined him nine months -longer, and have put him on a pay of thirty dollars per month as cook. -There is a string in every man’s breast, which, if you can rightly -touch, will “discourse music.” - - -THURSDAY, APRIL 6. I met a little California boy to-day in tattered -garments, and without hat or shoes. He had a small fish in his hand, -which he had just hooked up from the end of the wharf. I offered him -half a dollar for it; he said no, he wanted it himself. I offered him a -dollar; he still said no, he was going to make a dinner on it. The -result would probably have been the same had I offered him five dollars. -No one here is going to catch fish for you or any one else while he -wants them himself. - - -SATURDAY, APRIL 15. I made another pounce this evening on the gamblers, -and captured their bank; but most of the players had slipped their money -into their pockets before I could reach the table. No one rescued a -dollar after my cane, with its alcalde insignia, had been laid on the -boards. The authority of that baton they always respect. How comfortable -it is for one to carry his moral power on the top of his cane. It almost -justifies the Roman Catholic exegesis—and Jacob worshipped the top of -his staff. - - -MONDAY, APRIL 17. I had sent one of my constables to the Salinas river, -and the other to San Juan, and retired to rest; but about midnight was -startled from my dreams, by a loud rap at my office door. Throwing my -cloak around me, I unbolted the portal, and there stood, in the clear -moonlight, a tall Kanacka, who reverently lifted his hat, and observed, -“The town, sir, is perfectly quiet.” I thanked him for the information, -and closed the door. The fellow had been drinking, and in the importance -which liquor sometimes imparts, had imagined himself at the head of the -police. - - -THURSDAY, APRIL 27. Thom. Cole, whose moral vision could never yet -discover any difference between possession and ownership, where a horse -was concerned, was brought before me this morning, mounted on a fleet -steed belonging to a citizen of the town. He had removed the brand of -the rightful owner and substituted his own; but the disguise was easily -penetrated, and the horse identified. Thom. averred the horse was found -on his rancho; but he was ordered to deliver him to his proper owner, -who stood by to receive him. At this moment Thom. sprung into his saddle -and was off, horse and all, in the twinkling of an eye. I applied to -Gen. Mason for a file of soldiers; they were promptly ordered, and -stationed on the three streets, through one of which Thom. must make his -egress from town. He soon came sweeping on at the top of his speed, when -he suddenly found three muskets levelled at him, with an order to -dismount. There was no discharge in that war, and down he jumped, and -was soon delivered over to me. How changed! a moment before setting the -whole world at defiance; and now praying to be saved from the fleas of -the prison. As the flea could only punish him without benefiting the -town, I determined to reach him through another channel, by which both -purposes should be answered; and fined him fifty dollars for contempt of -court. So Thom. lost his horse and fifty dollars, and got a lesson of -humiliation which quelled his spirit like a wet blanket thrown on a -flaxen flame. - - -TUESDAY, MAY 2. I was roused from my sleep last night by a loud, hurried -knocking at my door, and a voice exclaiming, “Alcalde, alcalde!” On -reaching the door I found there a young Mexican, the clerk of a store -near by, without hat or shoes, and only a blanket wrapped around him. He -told me the volunteers had broken into his store, and were robbing the -money-chest. By this time my constable was up, and, throwing on our -clothes, we hastened with the clerk to his store; but not a human being -was to be seen. He showed us the bolt that had been forced, the chest -that had been broken, the pistol that he had snapped, and the wound that -he had received on the head. I sent the constable to the captain of the -volunteers, who immediately searched his quarters, where he found every -man in his berth, except those on guard. With these unsatisfactory -results I returned to my office and bed, and directed the constable to -keep an eye on the clerk. - - -WEDNESDAY, MAY 3. This morning I examined into all the circumstances -connected with the robbery. The wound of the clerk, which he says he -received from a cudgel, is a slight cut, apparently made by some sharp -instrument. The chisel, with which the chest was forced, corresponds in -width to one for sale on the shelf. Of the thousand dollars locked up in -the chest and drawers, not one, it seems, escaped; not a quarter or fip -fell to the floor; all went into the sack of the robbers, though they -worked in the dark. And then, as he alleges, the robbers were volunteers -without their uniform, and with their faces blacked. If so thoroughly -disguised, how could he know they were volunteers? From these -circumstances I have no doubt the rogue robbed himself, and raised the -hue and cry to cover the transaction. But we shall see; the thing will -out yet. - - -SUNDAY, MAY 9. This is my birth-day. I am on the shaded side of that -hill which swells midway between the extremities of life. The past seems -but a dream, and the future will soon be so. To what has been and to -what may be, I seem to myself almost indifferent. I know the vanities in -which human hopes end; I know that life itself is only a bubble that has -caught the hues of some falling star. And yet this airy phantom is not -all such as it would seem; there is something besides shadow in its -evanescent form. Our visions of happiness may prove an illusion, but our -sorrows are real. It is no fancied knell that shakes the bier; no -imaginary pall that wraps the loved and the lost. The grave is invested -with the awful majesty of the real. - - -MONDAY, MAY 10. I had directed the constable to get a pair of iron -hinges made for one of the doors of the prison. He gave the order to a -blacksmith, a crabbed old fellow, who charged eight dollars for his -coarse work. As the charge was an imposition, I told the constable not -to take the hinges; when up came the blacksmith with them to the office, -and, in a fit of passion, hurled them at my feet, as I stood in the -piazza. I handed the constable eight dollars, and told him to call on -the blacksmith, pay him for the hinges, take his receipt, and then bring -him before me. All which was done, and before me stood the smith, with -his choler yet up. I told him that his violence and indignity would not -be passed over; that I should fine him ten dollars for the benefit of -the town, which he might pay or go to prison. After a few moments’ -hesitation, he laid the ten dollars on the table, and took his departure -without uttering a word. When clear of the office he grumbled out to the -constable, “For once in my life I have been outwitted; that Yankee -alcalde has not only got my hinges for nothing, but two dollars besides. -I don’t wonder he can swing his prison doors at that rate; I would have -tried the calaboose but for the infernal fleas.” The constable told him -the next time he made hinges he must charge what they were worth, and -curb his towering temper. - - -WEDNESDAY, MAY 17. The ire of a Californian of hidalgo extraction -flashes from his dark eyes like heat-lightning on a July cloud—you see -the blaze, but hear no thunder; while the wit of a California lady -glances here and there like the sun-rays through the fluttering leaves -of a wind-stirred forest. We have several ladies here celebrated for -their brilliant sallies, but Donna Jimeno carries off the palm. A friend -showed her this morning a picture of the Israelites gathering manna. -“Ah! they are the Californians,” said the Donna, “they pick up what -heaven rains down.” He showed her Moses smiting the rock. “And there,” -said the Donna, “is a Yankee; he can bring water out of a rock.” But -humor and wit are not the highest characteristics of this lady. She -possesses a refinement and intelligence that might grace any court in -Europe; and withal, a benevolence that never wearies in reaching and -relieving the sick. Her care of Lieut. Miner, one of the officers -attached to this post, will long live in grateful remembrance. She -hovered over him till his spirit fled, and wept as she thought of his -mother. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - FIRST DISCOVERY OF GOLD.—PRISON GUARD.—INCREDULITY ABOUT THE - GOLD.—SANTIAGO GETTING MARRIED.—ANOTHER LUMP OF GOLD.—EFFECTS OF THE - GOLD FEVER.—THE COURT OF AN ALCALDE.—MOSQUITOES AS CONSTABLES.—BOB - AND HIS BAG OF GOLD.—RETURN OF CITIZENS FROM THE MINES.—A MAN WITH - THE GOLD-CHOLIC.—THE MINES ON INDIVIDUAL CREDIT. - -MONDAY, MAY 29. Our town was startled out of its quiet dreams to-day, by -the announcement that gold had been discovered on the American Fork. The -men wondered and talked, and the women too; but neither believed. The -sibyls were less skeptical; they said the moon had, for several nights, -appeared not more than a cable’s length from the earth; that a white -raven had been seen playing with an infant; and that an owl had rung the -church bells. - - -SATURDAY, JUNE 3. The most faithful and reliable guard that I have ever -had over the prisoners, is himself a prisoner. He had been a lieutenant -in the Mexican army, and was sentenced, for a flagrant breach of the -peace, to the public works for the term of one year. Being hard up for -funds, I determined to make an experiment with this lieutenant; had him -brought before me; ordered the ball and chain to be taken from his leg, -and placed a double-barrelled gun, loaded and primed, in his hands. -“Take that musket, and proceed with the prisoners to the stone quarry; -return them to their cells before sunset, and report to me.” “Your -order, Señor Alcalde, shall be faithfully obeyed,” was the reply. I then -ordered one of the constables, well mounted and armed, to reconnoitre -the quarry, and, unseen by the prisoners or guard, ascertain how things -went on. He returned, and reported well of their regularity. At sunset, -the lieutenant entered the office, and reported the prisoners in their -cells, and all safe. “Very well, José; now make yourself safe, and that -will do.” He accordingly returned to his prison, and from that day to -this, has been my most faithful and reliable guard. - - -MONDAY, JUNE 5. Another report reached us this morning from the American -Fork. The rumor ran, that several workmen, while excavating for a -mill-race, had thrown up little shining scales of a yellow ore, that -proved to be gold; that an old Sonoranian, who had spent his life in -gold mines, pronounced it the genuine thing. Still the public -incredulity remained, save here and there a glimmer of faith, like the -flash of a fire-fly at night. One good old lady, however, declared that -she had been dreaming of gold every night for several weeks, and that it -had so frustrated her simple household economy, that she had relieved -her conscience, by confessing to her priest— - - “Absolve me, father, of that sinful dream.” - - -TUESDAY, JUNE 6. Being troubled with the golden dream almost as much as -the good lady, I determined to put an end to the suspense, and -dispatched a messenger this morning to the American Fork. He will have -to ride, going and returning, some four hundred miles, but his report -will be reliable. We shall then know whether this gold is a fact or a -fiction—a tangible reality on the earth, or a fanciful treasure at the -base of some rainbow, retreating over hill and waterfall, to lure -pursuit and disappoint hope. - - -SATURDAY, JUNE 10. My boy Santiago has taken it into his head to get -married; and being a Protestant, finds it extremely difficult to get -through the ecclesiastical hopper. Were the person whom he wishes to wed -of the same faith with himself, there would be but little impediment; -but as she is a Roman Catholic, it is necessary that he should become -one too. He has been to the presiding priest to see if he could not get -his permission to retain a few articles of his own religion, just enough -to save his conscience. But his reverence told him he must give it up in -toto, renounce it as a heresy, and come without a scruple into the -mother church. Iago is not much of a theologian, but has sense enough to -know that conscientious scruples are not things of which a man can free -himself at will. His love, none the less deep and sincere for his humble -condition, urges him to a compliance with the canonical requirement, but -these very scruples hold him back. How he will extricate himself I know -not. He will probably compound the matter with his conscience by some -mental reservations, as Galileo did when awed into the indignant -confession that the earth was flat. Verily, if a man cannot marry in -this world without becoming a hypocrite or apostate from the faith of -his fathers, the sooner Miller’s conflagrating dream becomes a reality -the better. Perhaps some shape of flame might emerge from its drifting -embers, that would dare glimmer towards heaven without the leave of a -pragmatic priest. I wonder if Adam asked Eve if she were a Roman -Catholic before they celebrated their nuptials. This is an important -question, and ought to be looked into, though now rather late in the -day. I commend it to my venerable friend, the Bishop of New York, who -has recently issued an edict that no Protestant shall marry a Roman -Catholic without first passing his children, prospectively, through his -baptismal font. - - -MONDAY, JUNE 12. A straggler came in to-day from the American Fork, -bringing a piece of yellow ore weighing an ounce. The young dashed the -dirt from their eyes, and the old from their spectacles. One brought a -spyglass, another an iron ladle; some wanted to melt it, others to -hammer it, and a few were satisfied with smelling it. All were full of -tests; and many, who could not be gratified in making their experiments, -declared it a humbug. One lady sent me a huge gold ring, in the hope of -reaching the truth by comparison; while a gentleman placed the specimen -on the top of his gold-headed cane and held it up, challenging the -sharpest eyes to detect a difference. But doubts still hovered on the -minds of the great mass. They could not conceive that such a treasure -could have lain there so long undiscovered. The idea seemed to convict -them of stupidity. There is nothing of which a man is more tenacious -than his claims to sagacity. He sticks to them like an old bachelor to -the idea of his personal attractions, or a toper to the strength of his -temperance ability, whenever he shall wish to call it into play. - - -THURSDAY, JUNE 15. Found an Indian to-day perfectly sober, who is -generally drunk, and questioned him of the cause of his sobriety. He -stated that he wished to marry an Indian girl, and she would not have -him unless he would keep sober a month; that this was but his third day, -and he should never be able to stand it unless I would put him beyond -the reach of liquor. So I sentenced him to the public works for a month; -this will pay off old scores, and help him to a wife, who may perhaps -keep him sober, though I fear there is little hope of that. - - -TUESDAY, JUNE 20. My messenger sent to the mines, has returned with -specimens of the gold; he dismounted in a sea of upturned faces. As he -drew forth the yellow lumps from his pockets, and passed them around -among the eager crowd, the doubts, which had lingered till now, fled. -All admitted they were gold, except one old man, who still persisted -they were some Yankee invention, got up to reconcile the people to the -change of flag. The excitement produced was intense; and many were soon -busy in their hasty preparations for a departure to the mines. The -family who had kept house for me caught the moving infection. Husband -and wife were both packing up; the blacksmith dropped his hammer, the -carpenter his plane, the mason his trowel, the farmer his sickle, the -baker his loaf, and the tapster his bottle. All were off for the mines, -some on horses, some on carts, and some on crutches, and one went in a -litter. An American woman, who had recently established a boarding-house -here, pulled up stakes, and was off before her lodgers had even time to -pay their bills. Debtors ran, of course. I have only a community of -women left, and a gang of prisoners, with here and there a soldier, who -will give his captain the slip at the first chance. I don’t blame the -fellow a whit; seven dollars a month, while others are making two or -three hundred a day! that is too much for human nature to stand. - - -SATURDAY, JULY 15. The gold fever has reached every servant in Monterey; -none are to be trusted in their engagement beyond a week, and as for -compulsion, it is like attempting to drive fish into a net with the -ocean before them. Gen. Mason, Lieut. Lanman, and myself, form a mess; -we have a house, and all the table furniture and culinary apparatus -requisite; but our servants have run, one after another, till we are -almost in despair: even Sambo, who we thought would stick by from -laziness, if no other cause, ran last night; and this morning, for the -fortieth time, we had to take to the kitchen, and cook our own -breakfast. A general of the United States Army, the commander of a -man-of-war, and the Alcalde of Monterey, in a smoking kitchen, grinding -coffee, toasting a herring, and peeling onions! These gold mines are -going to upset all the domestic arrangements of society, turning the -head to the tail, and the tail to the head. Well, it is an ill wind that -blows nobody any good: the nabobs have had their time, and now comes -that of the “niggers.” We shall all live just as long, and be quite as -fit to die. - - -TUESDAY, JULY 18. Another bag of gold from the mines, and another spasm -in the community. It was brought down by a sailor from Yuba river, and -contains a hundred and thirty-six ounces. It is the most beautiful gold -that has appeared in the market; it looks like the yellow scales of the -dolphin, passing through his rainbow hues at death. My carpenters, at -work on the school-house, on seeing it, threw down their saws and -planes, shouldered their picks, and are off for the Yuba. Three seamen -ran from the Warren, forfeiting their four years’ pay; and a whole -platoon of soldiers from the fort left only their colors behind. One old -woman declared she would never again break an egg or kill a chicken, -without examining yolk and gizzard. - - -SATURDAY, JULY 22. The laws by which an alcalde here is governed, in the -administration of justice, are the Mexican code as compiled in Frebrero -and Alverez—works of remarkable comprehensiveness, clearness, and -facility of application. They embody all the leading principles of the -civil law, derived from the institutes of Justinian. The common law of -England is hardly known here, though its rules and maxims have more or -less influenced local legislation. But with all these legal provisions a -vast many questions arise which have to be determined _ex cathedra_. In -minor matters the alcalde is often himself the law; and the records of -his court might reveal some very exquisite specimens of judicial -prerogative; such as shaving a rogue’s head—_lex talionis_—who had -shaved the tail of his neighbor’s horse; or making a busybody, who had -slandered a worthy citizen, promenade the streets with a gag in his -mouth; or obliging a man who had recklessly caused a premature birth, to -compensate the bereaved father for the loss of that happiness which he -might have derived from his embryo hope, had it budded into life. This -last has rather too many contingencies about it; but the principle, -which reaches it and meets the offender, does very well out here in -California, and would not be misapplied in some of those pill-shops -which slope the path to crime in the United States. - - -THURSDAY, JULY 27. I never knew mosquitoes turned to any good account -save in California; and here it seems they are sometimes ministers of -justice. A rogue had stolen a bag of gold from a digger in the mines, -and hid it. Neither threats nor persuasions could induce him to reveal -the place of its concealment. He was at last sentenced to a hundred -lashes, and then informed that he would be let off with thirty, provided -he would tell what he had done with the gold; but he refused. The thirty -lashes were inflicted, but he was still stubborn as a mule. - -He was then stripped naked and tied to a tree. The mosquitoes with their -long bills went at him, and in less than three hours he was covered with -blood. Writhing and trembling from head to foot with exquisite torture, -he exclaimed, “Untie me, untie me, and I will tell where it is.” “Tell -first,” was the reply. So he told where it might be found. Some of the -party then, with wisps, kept off the still hungry mosquitoes, while -others went where the culprit had directed, and recovered the bag of -gold. He was then untied, washed with cold water, and helped to his -clothes, while he muttered, as if talking to himself, “I couldn’t stand -that anyhow.” - - -FRIDAY, JULY 28. A little laughing girl tripped into the office to-day, -and handed me a bunch of flowers, which she said her mother sent me. -“And who is your mother, my sweet one?” I inquired. She told me, and I -then remembered that I had recovered for her a silver cup, which an -Indian had stolen; and these flowers had now come as a memento. - - “Fee me with flowers, they hold no sordid bribe.” - - -SATURDAY, AUG. 12. My man Bob, who is of Irish extraction, and who had -been in the mines about two months, returned to Monterey four weeks -since, bringing with him over two thousand dollars, as the proceeds of -his labor. Bob, while in my employ, required me to pay him every -Saturday night, in gold, which he put into a little leather bag and -sewed into the lining of his coat, after taking out just twelve and a -half cents, his weekly allowance for tobacco. But now he took rooms and -began to branch out; he had the best horses, the richest viands, and the -choicest wines in the place. He never drank himself, but it filled him -with delight to brim the sparkling goblet for others. I met Bob to-day, -and asked him how he got on. “Oh, very well,” he replied, “but I am off -again for the mines.” “How is that, Bob? you brought down with you over -two thousand dollars; I hope you have not spent all that: you used to be -very saving; twelve and a half cents a week for tobacco, and the rest -you sewed into the lining of your coat.” “Oh, yes,” replied Bob, “and I -have got _that_ money yet; I worked hard for it; and the diel can’t get -it away; but the two thousand dollars came asily by good luck, and has -gone as asily as it came.” Now Bob’s story is only one of a thousand -like it in California, and has a deeper philosophy in it than meets the -eye. Multitudes here are none the richer for the mines. He who can shake -chestnuts from an exhaustless tree, won’t stickle about the quantity he -roasts. - - -THURSDAY, AUG. 16. Four citizens of Monterey are just in from the gold -mines on Feather River, where they worked in company with three others. -They employed about thirty wild Indians, who are attached to the rancho -owned by one of the party. They worked precisely seven weeks and three -days, and have divided seventy-six thousand eight hundred and forty-four -dollars,—nearly eleven thousand dollars to each. Make a dot there, and -let me introduce a man, well known to me, who has worked on the Yuba -river sixty-four days, and brought back, as the result of his individual -labor, five thousand three hundred and fifty-six dollars. Make a dot -there, and let me introduce another townsman, who has worked on the -North Fork fifty-seven days, and brought back four thousand five hundred -and thirty-four dollars. Make a dot there, and let me introduce a boy, -fourteen years of age, who has worked on the Mokelumne fifty-four days, -and brought back three thousand four hundred and sixty-seven dollars. -Make another dot there, and let me introduce a woman, of Sonoranian -birth, who has worked in the dry diggings forty-six days, and brought -back two thousand one hundred and twenty-five dollars. Is not this -enough to make a man throw down his leger and shoulder a pick? But the -deposits which yielded these harvests were now opened for the first -time; they were the accumulation of ages; only the footprints of the elk -and wild savage had passed over them. Their slumber was broken for the -first time by the sturdy arms of the American emigrant. - - -TUESDAY, AUG. 28. The gold mines have upset all social and domestic -arrangements in Monterey; the master has become his own servant, and the -servant his own lord. The millionaire is obliged to groom his own horse, -and roll his wheelbarrow; and the hidalgo—in whose veins flows the blood -of all the Cortes—to clean his own boots! Here is lady L——, who has -lived here seventeen years, the pride and ornament of the place, with a -broomstick in her jewelled hand! And here is lady B—— with her -daughter—all the way from “old Virginia,” where they graced society with -their varied accomplishments—now floating between the parlor and -kitchen, and as much at home in the one as the other! And here is lady -S——, whose cattle are on a thousand hills, lifting, like Rachel of old, -her bucket of water from the deep well! And here is lady M. L——, whose -honey-moon is still full of soft seraphic light, unhouseling a potatoe, -and hunting the hen that laid the last egg. And here am I, who have been -a man of some note in my day, loafing on the hospitality of the good -citizens, and grateful for a meal, though in an Indian’s wigwam. Why, is -not this enough to make one wish the gold mines were in the earth’s -flaming centre, from which they sprung? Out on this yellow dust! it is -worse than the cinders which buried Pompeii, for there, high and low -shared the same fate! - - -SATURDAY, SEPT. 9. I met a Scotchman this morning bent half double, and -evidently in pain. On inquiring the cause, he informed me that he had -just seen a lump of gold from the Mokelumne as big as his double fist, -and it had given him the cholic. The diagnosis of the complaint struck -me as a new feature in human maladies, and one for which it would be -difficult to find a suitable medicament in the therapeutics known to the -profession; especially in the allopathic practice, which has stood still -for three thousand years, except in the discovery of quinine for ague, -and sulphur for itch. The gentlemen of this embalmed school must wake -up; their antediluvian owl may do on an Egyptian obelisk, but we must -have a more wide-awake bird in these days of progress. Here is a man -bent double with a new and strange disease, taken from looking at gold: -your bleeding, blistering, and purging won’t free him of it. What is to -be done? shall he be left to die, or be delivered over to the -homœopathies? They have a medicament that acts as a specific, on the -principle that the hair of the dog is good for the bite. If you burn -your hand, what do you do—clasp a piece of ice?—no, seize a warm poker; -if you freeze your foot, do you put it to the fire?—no, dash it into the -snow; and so if you take the gold-cholic, the remedy is, _aurum—similia -similibus curantur_. - - -SATURDAY, SEPT. 16. The gold mines are producing one good result; every -creditor who has gone there is paying his debts. Claims not deemed worth -a farthing are now cashed on presentation at nature’s great bank. This -has rendered the credit of every man here good for almost any amount. -Orders for merchandise are honored which six months ago would have been -thrown into the fire. There is none so poor, who has two stout arms and -a pickaxe left, but he can empty any store in Monterey. Nor has the -first instance yet occurred, in which the creditor has suffered. All -distinctions indicative of means have vanished; the only capital -required is muscle and an honest purpose. I met a man to-day from the -mines in patched buckskins, rough as a badger from his hole, who had -fifteen thousand dollars in yellow dust, swung at his back. Talk to him -of brooches, gold-headed canes, and Carpenter’s coats! Why he can unpack -a lump of gold that would throw all Chesnut-street into spasms. And -there is more where this came from. _His_ rights in the great domain are -equal to yours, and his prospects of getting it out vastly better. With -these advantages, he bends the knee to no man, but strides along in his -buckskins, a lord of earth by a higher prescriptive privilege than what -emanates from the partiality of kings. His patent is medallioned with -rivers which roll over golden sands, and embossed with mountains which -have lifted for ages their golden coronets to heaven. Clear out of the -way with your crests, and crowns, and pedigree trees, and let this -democrat pass. Every drop of blood in his veins tells that it flows from -a great heart, which God has made and which man shall never enslave. -Such are the genuine sons of California; such may they live and die. - - “They will not be the tyrant’s slaves, - While heaven has light, or earth has graves.” - -[Illustration: Burt, sc.] - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - TOUR TO THE GOLD MINES.—LOSS OF HORSES.—FIRST NIGHT IN THE - WOODS.—ARRIVAL AT SAN JUAN.—UNDER WAY.—CAMPING OUT.—BARK OF THE - WOLVES.—WATCH-FIRES.—SAN JOSÉ.—A FRESH START.—CAMPING ON THE SLOPE - OF A HILL.—WILD FEATURES OF THE COUNTRY.—VALLEY OF THE SAN - JOAQUIN.—BAND OF WILD HORSES. - -WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20. A servant of James McKinley, Esq., led to my door -this morning a beautiful saddle-horse, with a message from his master, -desiring me to accept the animal as a token of his regard. The gift was -most opportune, as I was on the eve of a trip to the gold mines. To -guard against contingencies I purchased another, and, to prevent their -being stolen, placed them both in the government corral, where a watch -is posted night and day. My companions on the trip were to be Capt. -Marcy, son of the late secretary of war, Mr. Botts, naval storekeeper, -and Mr. Wilkinson, son of our ex-minister to Russia. - -Having procured a suitable wagon, we freighted it lightly with -provisions, articles of Indian traffic, tools for working in the mines, -cooking utensils, and blankets to sleep in. To this we attached four -mules, but little used to the harness, and of no great power, but they -were the best that could be got at the time. The whole was put under the -charge of a man who was half sailor and half teamster, and not much of -either. Thus accoutred, the team was sent ahead, and we were to follow -the next day. - - -THURSDAY, SEPT. 21. The hour for starting having arrived, I sent my man -to the government coral for my horses. He returned in a few moments with -the intelligence that a party of the volunteers had broken into the -coral during the night, and carried off ten horses, and among them both -of mine! There was no time now for ferreting out thieves, or hunting -stolen animals. Our wagon was on the way, and my companions were mounted -and waiting. I hurried to Mr. S——, who I knew had a fine horse in his -yard, and offered him two hundred dollars for the animal, but he -declined parting with him. My only resource now was with Mr. T——, who -had three horses in his coral, but they were off a long journey the -night before. I struck a bargain at a hundred dollars for one of them, -and throwing on my saddle, was under way in a few minutes. - -My horse held out pretty well for twenty miles, and then suddenly broke -down. We were on the plain of the Salinas, and there was but little -prospect of my being able to procure a substitute. But just at this -crisis the mail rider hove in sight, with a horse in lead. I arranged -with him for the spare animal, transferred my saddle to him, and with a -farewell to my wearied steed, started again. We had directed our wagoner -to proceed to San Juan, and expected to overtake him at that place -before dark. But night set in while we were eight or ten miles distant, -and it was a night of Egyptian darkness. We lost our way, and brought up -in the woods. To proceed was impossible; so we dismounted, tied our -horses together, felt for some dry leaves, and fired them with a lucifer -which had been given us by a traveller an hour before. - -With brush and bits of bark we managed to sustain our fire, but our -prospect for the night was rather gloomy—without a drop of water, -without any food, without an overcoat or blanket to cover us, with heavy -thunder over head, and the wolves barking around. But we divided -ourselves into four watches; one was to keep up the fire while the other -three slept, and each take his turn in feeding the flame. My watch came -first, and it was the longest two hours I ever experienced. Every old -snag I drew to the fire seemed to exhaust the little strength that -remained. My eyelids would fall, and it seemed impossible to lift them. -I heard the wolves bark, but it was like a noise in one’s dream. But my -relief came at last, and throwing myself down close to the fire, I slept -too sound even for the thunder. It was the cold dim gray of advancing -morn when I awoke. A ride of an hour brought us to San Juan, where we -found our baggage-wagon at a stream, the mules tethered, and whistling a -piteous welcome to our steeds, and the driver blowing into a bundle of -reeds and straw, from which a slender thread of smoke was rising into -the chill atmosphere. - -San Juan is thirty-four miles from Monterey; the only buildings are a -gigantic church and the contiguous dwelling—once occupied by the priests -and their Indian neophytes. The sanctuary remains; but the priests are -gone, and the Indians are on the four winds, save those over whom the -pine sings its requiem. We broke our long fast on hard bread, broiled -pork, and coffee without milk. The sun was high when our mules were -harnessed, and the crack of the driver’s whip told that we were on the -way. A few miles brought us to the foot of a hill; when half-way up our -mules balked, and the wagon began to travel backward. We blocked the -wheels, and tried to cheer and force them on; but a mule has that -peculiar virtue which is insensible alike to flatteries and frowns. -Still we coaxed, and whipped, and cheered, but in vain—there stuck our -old wagon, fast as a thunder-cloud on a mountain’s bluff. We had to turn -lighters, and carry the greater part of the load, by hand, to the top of -the hill. One of the mules whistled out in seeming derision; while his -fellow looked sorry, as if smitten with compunction. This delay consumed -several hours, and the sun was far down his western slope when we -reached a few shanties on a plain covered in spots with the surviving -verdure of the year: here we camped for the night. One tethered the -animals; two brought wood and water; and one turned cook. We made our -supper by the light of our watch-fire, smoked our cigars, and turned -down upon the earth, with our saddles for our pillows. A blanket served -to protect each from the dews and the night air. How little man wants -here! His palace seems to tower in idle grandeur, between a cradle and a -coffin. - - -FRIDAY, SEPT. 22. Day glimmered over the hills and we were up; the -gathered brands of our watch-fire kindled again under our camp-kettle. -Our breakfast was soon dispatched, our mules in harness, our blankets -stowed, and we were on the way. Ten miles farther, and my third horse, -which I had procured at San Juan, began to give out, and I was thrown -upon my feet, till relieved by the opportune arrival of a gentleman with -a spare horse, which I purchased at his own price, leaving my own to -shift for himself. When on my feet, my thoughts ran bitterly back to the -two fine horses with which I had expected to leave Monterey. We are the -least forgiving when we feel most the need of that of which we have been -robbed. - -Our road lay through a level plain, into which the spur of a mountain -range had thrown its bold terminus. Doubling this, we wound into a deep -cove, where wild oats waved, and a copious spring gushed from a cleft of -the rock. It was yet two hours to sunset; but the next stream lay ten -miles ahead, and we decided to camp where we were. Our horses and mules -were turned into the ample cove untethered; and in half an hour we had -gathered sufficient wood for a strong fire through the night. We were -near the rancho of Mr. Murphy, and the kind old gentleman called, and -invited us to his house; but we deemed it more prudent to stay by our -animals. Our supper of hard bread, broiled pork, and coffee was quickly -prepared, and as quickly disposed of. The shadows of eve fell fast; we -arranged our watches for the night; and each, in his blanket wound, -composed himself to sleep. Mine was the mid-watch: I found the camp-fire -bright, and the cliffs around lit with its rays. I numbered the animals -to see that none had strayed, and then sat down to watch the motions of -a wolf, who was reconnoitering our camp, with step as soft and low— - - “As that of man on guilty errand bent.” - - -SATURDAY, SEPT. 23. We broke camp, were up and away while the dew was -yet fresh on the grass. Ten miles brought us to Fisher’s rancho, where -we procured soft bread and fresh milk. But our animals fared hard; the -grasshoppers had been there before them. We had yet three hours of sun -when we reached the lagoon near San José, but camped there on account of -the grass. A shanty stood near by, where we procured a few potatoes and -onions, and a piece of fresh meat, with which we made a stew—quite a -luxury on a California road. The owner of the shanty invited me to a -night’s lodging, which I accepted, but found my host much more -hospitable than his fleas, for I was driven back to my camp before -midnight. A California flea is not to be trifled with; his nippers drive -you into spasms. - - -SUNDAY, SEPT. 24. This is the Sabbath, and we are in San José, in the -house of Dr. Stokes, to whose hospitality we are indebted for a good -table and quiet apartments. I must here relate a domestic incident in -the doctor’s family, which fell under my eye while he resided at -Monterey, and which pictured itself strongly on my mind. It was evening, -and the hour for rest with the children, when six little boys and girls -knelt around the chair of their father, repeating the Lord’s prayer, and -closing with the invocation—“God bless our dear parents, and brothers, -and sisters, and grant that we meet in heaven at last.” Then came the -good-night, and the cheerful footsteps to the chamber of soft sleep. -What are gold mines to this? A glow-worm’s light beneath a star that -shall never set! - - -MONDAY, SEPT. 25. San José is sixty-five miles from Monterey, and stands -in the centre of a spacious valley which opens on the great bay of San -Francisco. It is cultivated only in spots, but the immense yield in -these is sufficient evidence of what the valley is capable. A plough and -harrow, at which a New England crow would laugh, are followed by fields -of waving grain. Within this valley lie the rich lands of Com. Stockton, -and they will yet feel the force of his vivifying enterprise. The -mission buildings of Santa Clara lift their huge proportions on the eye. -The bells that swing in their towers are silent, but they will yet find -a tongue and fill the cliffs with their glad echoes. The Anglo-Saxon -blood will yet roll here as if in its first leap. - -Such are the representations of the roads between this and the mines, -that we have concluded to part with our wagon and pack our mules. Mr. -Botts, one of our companions, has received intelligence which requires -his return to Monterey. We must proceed without his agreeable society. -Wm. Stewart, Esq., secretary of Com. Jones, and Lieut. Simmons, of the -Ohio, have just arrived, on their way to the mines. Two of our mules -were now packed, the third mounted by our wagoner, and the fourth -driven, to guard against contingencies. Thus equipped, we started again -for the mines; but we had hardly cleared the town when one of our mules -took fright, plunged over the plain, burst his girth, and scattered on -the winds the contents of his pack. Capt. Marcy and Mr. Wilkinson, with -the mules and their driver, returned into town to repack, and I -proceeded on in the company of Mr. Stewart and Lieut. Simmons. - -We passed the mission of San José, which stands three leagues from the -town. The massive proportions of the church lay in shadow, but the -crowning cross was lit with the rays of the descending sun. No hum of -busy streets or jocund voice of childhood saluted the ear. No eye -regarded us but that of the owl gazing in wise wonder from his ivy -tower. He seemed to marvel at the vanity that had brought us here; and -as we hurried past on our gold destination, sent after us an ominous -hoot! The purple twilight was settling fast when we reached a stream -singing along between the slopes of two hills. Here we camped for the -night. The grass was scanty and the ground uneven, but it was now too -late to look for other spots. The dry willows, which skirted the stream, -furnished us with fuel. The lid of our coffee kettle was soon trembling -over the steam, while the fresh steaks, curling on the coals, scented -the evening air. Our supper over, we talked of friends far away, and -spread our blankets for the night. The ground was so descending I put a -stone at my feet to keep from slipping down, but must have rolled from -my pedestal, for on awaking at daybreak, I found myself at the foot of -the slope, and close on the verge of the bubbling stream. My -ground-blanket remained where it had been spread, though it seemed -higher up the hill, as I clambered back to it from my somnambulic roll. - - -TUESDAY, SEPT. 26. My companions, who had returned to San José to repack -the mules, arrived at our camp about mid-day, accompanied by W. R. -Garner, so long my secretary in the office of alcalde. Our own horses -were soon saddled, and we were off, all the more light-hearted for this -accession to our numbers. Our road lay through a rolling country covered -with live-oak and pine, and through small prairies, cradled in emerald -repose among the hills. It was quite dark when we reached the small -farm-house of Mr. Livermore. Here we camped. A snag-fence supplied us -with fuel, and Mr. L. furnished us with a sheep ready dressed. Our large -camp-fire sent up its waving flame, which threw its red light over a -group gathered around in every attitude which hunger and culinary care -could assume. What was the howl of the wolves on the hills to us, -engaged in picking the bones of that sheep? A camp-life teaches you the -value of three things—meat, salt, and fire: with these you can travel -the globe round. - - -WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27. The night had been dark, the wind bleak, and the -rack was driving on the sky, when the first rays of the sun kindled the -soaring cliffs. We had the great Tulare plain to pass, and lost no time -in finishing our breakfast and effecting an early start. Crossing the -plain attached to the rancho, which we had left, our road lay among -steep conical hills feathered with pine, and pyramids of rock piled in -naked majesty. From these we opened on the great plain of the San -Joaquin, stretching away like a Sahara, and without an object on which -the eye could rest. The sun was hot, and not a breath of wind crept over -the cheerless expanse. A column of cloud, soaring on the distant -horizon, showed where the fearful flame was at work. - -We were now in the midst of the plain, when a moving object, dim and -distant, rapidly advanced into more distinct vision. It was a band of -wild horses, rushing down the plain like a foaming torrent to the sea. - - “With flowing tail and flying mane, - With nostrils never stretched by pain, - Mouths bloodless to the bit or rein; - And feet that iron never shod, - And flanks unscarred by spur or rod, - A thousand horse—the wild, the free— - Like waves that follow o’er the sea— - Came thickly thundering on.” - -We instantly seized the halters of our pack-mules, and not knowing -whether to advance or retreat, waited the issue where we stood. They -swept past us but a short distance ahead, heeding us as little as the -Niagara the reeds that tremble on its bank. The very ground shook with -the thunder of their hoofs. Their arching necks and flowing mane, their -glossy flanks and sinewy bound made you begrudge them their freedom. You -thought what a flight you might make on them into the mines. It seemed a -pity that so much celerity and strength should be thrown away upon a -stampede. - -As we advanced the line of the horizon began to lift itself into -irregular shapes, like a broken coast at sea. These emerging forms -proved to be the broad tops of a belt of trees, which seemed not more -than half a league distant, but which retreated as we advanced, like the -bow which childhood pursues. It was a weary ride before we reached them, -but the tedium of the way was relieved by several adventures among the -wild geese, which hovered near our path in immense flocks. Mr. Stewart, -who is an excellent shot, brought several to the ground: with these -trophies we camped for the night. Some watered and tethered the animals, -others gathered wood, and others ground the coffee and picked the geese. -Having in our panniers a few onions and potatoes, with a piece of pork, -we prepared for a stew. But our geese must have been the goslings of -those that went into the ark, for neither fire nor steam could make an -impression on their sinewy forms. We tried them with the puncture of our -long knives; found them tough as ever, and then swung off the pot. There -was enough, with bread and coffee, without the geese, and as we threw -the legs and wings this way and that, an owl watched the flying -fragments, as much as to say, it is an ill wind that blows nobody any -good. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - THE GRAVE OF A GOLD-HUNTER.—MOUNTAIN SPURS.—A COMPANY OF - SONORANIANS.—A NIGHT ALARM.—FIRST VIEW OF THE MINES.—CHARACTER OF - THE DEPOSITS.—A WOMAN AND HER PAN.—REMOVAL TO OTHER MINES.—WILD - INDIANS AND THEIR WEAPONS.—COST OF PROVISIONS.—A PLUNGE INTO A GOLD - RIVER.—MACHINES USED BY THE GOLD-DIGGERS. - -THURSDAY, SEPT. 28. We slept soundly last night. The sun had been up an -hour before we finished our coffee and vaulted into our saddles. A short -ride brought us to the San Joaquin river, which we crossed in the -primitive way. We threw our saddles and packs into a boat, and then -getting in ourselves, rowed off, leading at the stern one of our little -mules, called Nina. The horses being driven in, followed in her wake and -swam to the opposite bank. The moment they reached the shore, every one -lay down and rolled, covering himself with a layer of sand. My own for -once seemed to have caught the mine fever, and without waiting for the -saddle, much less his rider, went snorting up the bank. - -A mile or two further on, and we passed the grave of one whom I had -known well in Monterey. He was a young man of many amiable and excellent -qualities; was on his way to the mines; but in crossing a gulch, now -entirely dry, but through which a freshet then swept, became entangled -with the gearing of his horses, and was drowned. An evergreen tree -throws its perpetual shadows on the mound where he rests, and the wild -birds sing his requiem. His widowed mother, who dwells by the rushing -tide of the Missouri, will long look for his return, and still doubt in -her grief the story of his death. But never will her eyes again rest on -his. Till the heavens be no more he shall not awake, nor be raised out -of his sleep. - -Our road for ten miles lay through a level plain corresponding in its -cheerless aspect to that we had passed on the other side of the San -Joaquin. We encountered a drove of wild elk with their forest of -branching horns, but they kept beyond the range of our rifles, and our -horses were too tired to be put on the pursuit. We had only the -satisfaction of venting, in words, our spleen on their speed, but little -cared they for that. They run away at times, as it would seem, from -their own horns, for our road was strewn with these cast-off coronets. - -Leaving the plain we ascended into a rolling country lightly timbered -with oak, pine, and birch. We wound rapidly forward, till we encountered -a stream, and a plot of green grass which had escaped the fire that had -been straggling about among the hills. We were without a guide, and on a -trail which at times became rather faint and difficult, and no one knew -where we might next meet with water, so we tethered, collected our wood -for the night, and lit our camp-fire. We had no more potatoes or onions -for a stew, and made our supper on broiled pork, hard bread, and coffee. -We had our saddles for our pillows, the green earth for our couch, and -the bright stars to light us to our rest. - - -FRIDAY, SEPT. 29. One of our company discovered near our camp this -morning a little lake, with fish darting about in its lucid waters. Our -twine was soon out and hooked, the alder supplied us with poles, and we -answered exactly to Dr. Johnson’s definition of angling—“Line and rod, -with a worm at one end and a fool at the other,” for not a fish would -bite; they were not to be caught with a poor wriggling worm, when golden -flies were floating about. They were fish of a better taste; and we had -to breakfast as we had done before, on broiled pork, hard bread, and -coffee. A famished crow, as if in sympathy with our wants, rattled his -bones near by on a dry limb. - - -The trail which we were following accommodated itself to the wild -country through which it lay. The bold bluff and deep chasm bent it into -a constant succession of quick circles and sharp angles. The head of our -train was never in sight of those who occupied the rear, except when we -wound over those more gradual slopes which here and there relieved the -ruggedness of the landscape. We met a company of Californians about -mid-day, on their return from the mines, and a more forlorn looking -group never knocked at the gate of a pauper asylum. They were most of -them dismounted, with rags fastened round their blistered feet, and with -clubs in their hands, with which they were trying to force on their -skeleton animals. They inquired for bread and meat: we had but little of -either, but shared it with them. They took from one of their packs a -large bag of gold, and began to shell out a pound or two in payment. We -told them they were welcome; still they seemed anxious to pay, and we -were obliged to be positive in our refusal. This company, as I -afterwards ascertained, had with them over a hundred thousand dollars in -grain gold. One of them had the largest lump that had yet been found; it -weighed over twenty pounds; and he seemed almost ready to part with it -for a mess of pottage. What is gold where there is nothing to eat?—the -gilded fly of the angler in a troutless stream. - - -SATURDAY, SEPT. 30. We camped last night in a forest, where a small -opening let in the sun’s rays upon a plot of green grass and a sparkling -spring. Our slumbers were broken in the night by the discharge of a -pistol by one of our company, who saw, or thought he saw, a wolf -snuffling about his blanket. We seized our arms, thinking the wild -Indians were upon us, but found no enemy. It was probably the phantom of -a disturbed dream. We scolded the young man soundly who gave the alarm, -and turned down on the earth again to finish our night’s repose. - -The scenery, as we advanced, became more wild and picturesque. The hills -lost their gentle slopes, and took the form of steep and rugged cones: -the mountain ranges were broken by dark and rugged gorges; over crags -that toppled high in air, the soaring pine threw its wild music on the -wind; while merry streams dashed down the precipitous rocks, as if in -haste to greet the green vale below. A short distance beyond us lay the -richest gold mines that had yet been discovered; and nature, as if to -guard her treasures, had thrown around them a steep mountain barrier. -This frowning wall seemed as if riven in some great convulsion. The -broad chasm, like a break in a huge Roman aqueduct, dropped to the level -plain; while the bold bluffs of the severed barrier gazed at each other -in savage grandeur. Beyond this gateway, a valley wandered for some -distance, and then expanded into a plain, in the midst of which stood a -beautiful grove of oak and pine. Crossing this, we wound over a rough, -rocky elevation, and turned suddenly into a ravine, up which we -discovered a line of tents glittering in the sun’s rays. We were in the -gold mines! I jumped from my horse, took a pick, and in five minutes -found a piece of gold large enough to make a signet-ring. - -We had the unexpected pleasure of meeting here Gov. Mason and Capt. -Sherman, who had arrived the evening before in their tour of -observation; and Dr. Ord, recently of the army, and Mr. Taylor, of -Monterey. They invited us to their camp and a supper which we enjoyed -with a keen relish. If you want to know what it is to have an appetite, -which scruples at nothing and enjoys every thing, travel on horseback -and sleep in the open air. Railroads and hotels are the graves of -invalids. But I forgot our horses: we could find no grass; there was a -poor pasture several miles distant; but it was now near sunset; we -gathered acorns for them, which a horse will eat when pinched with -hunger. Our camp-fire was kindled, and we rolled down for the night. - - -SUNDAY, OCT. 1. Another Sabbath, and our first in the mines. But here -and there a digger has resumed his work. With most it is a day of rest, -not so much perhaps from religious scruples, as a conviction that the -system requires and must have repose. He is a blind philosopher, as well -as a stupid Christian, who cannot see, even in the physical benefits of -the Sabbath, motives sufficient to sanctify its observance. He must be a -callous soul, who, with the hope of heaven in his dreams, can wantonly -profane its spirit. - - -MONDAY, OCT. 2. I went among the gold-diggers; found half a dozen at the -bottom of the ravine, tearing up the bogs, and up to their knees in mud. -Beneath these bogs lay a bed of clay, sprinkled in spots with gold. -These deposits, and the earth mixed with them, were shovelled into -bowls, taken to a pool near by, and washed out. The bowl, in working, is -held in both hands, whirled violently back and forth through half a -circle, and pitched this way and that sufficiently to throw off the -earth and water, while the gold settles to the bottom. The process is -extremely laborious, and taxes the entire muscles of the frame. In its -effect it is more like swinging a scythe than any work I ever attempted. - -Not having much relish for the bogs and mud, I procured a light crowbar -and went to splitting the slate-rocks which project into the ravine. I -found between the layers, which were not perfectly closed, particles of -gold, resembling in shape the small and delicate scales of a fish. These -were easily scraped from the slate by a hunter’s knife, and readily -separated in the wash-bowl from all foreign substances. The layers in -which they were found generally inclined from a vertical or horizontal -position, and formed an acute angle with the bank of the ravine, in the -direction of the current. In the reverse of this position, and where the -inclination was with the current, they rarely contained any gold. The -inference would seem to be, that these deposits are made by the currents -when swelled by the winter rains, and poured in a rushing tide down -these channels. It is only the most rapid stream that can carry this -treasure, and even that must soon resign it to some eddy, or the rock -that paves its footsteps. - -There are about seventy persons at work in this ravine, and all within a -few yards of each other. They average about one ounce per diem each. -They who get less are discontented, and they who get more are not -satisfied. Every day brings in some fresh report of richer discoveries -in some quarter not far remote, and the diggers are consequently kept in -a state of feverish excitement. One woman, a Sonoranian, who was washing -here, finding at the bottom of her bowl only the amount of half a dollar -or so, hurled it back again into the water, and straightening herself up -to her full height, strode off with the indignant air of one who feels -himself insulted. Poor woman! how little thou knowest of those patient -females, who in our large cities make a shirt or vest for ten cents! -Were an ounce of diamonds to fall into one of our hands every day, we -should hold out the other just as eager and impatient as if its fellow -were empty. Such is human nature; and a miserable thing it is, too, -especially when touched with the gold fever. - - -TUESDAY, OCT. 3. We parted to-day with the society of Mr. Stewart and -Mr. Simmons: they were on a tour of observation; were bound to Sutter’s -Fort, and availed themselves of the company of Gov. Mason and Capt. -Sherman, who were going in the same direction; may they have an -agreeable journey, and each find a lump of gold as big as Vulcan’s -anvil. We ordered up our own horses, packed our mules, and started for a -ravine some seven miles distant. Our path lay over the spur of a -mountain, so rugged and steep that we were obliged to dismount. The -soaring masses were piled around us in the wildest sublimity, presenting -those thunder-scarred fronts which the volcano in its terrific energy -throws into the eye of the sun. You had a dim persuasion that some -fearful charm, some unseen treasure lurked in the sunless recesses of -these stupendous piles; and so it seemed, for out walked a grizzly bear -from a mountain gorge, and fixed his burning eyes steadfastly on us. Not -being certain of our rifles, as we had not used them for several days, -we deemed prudence the better part of valor, and gave the old monarch of -the woods a pretty wide berth. - -We examined several spots on our route for gold, but found none, either -on the table-rock, or in the channels of the mountain streams. If it -ever existed there, it had been swept below, or remained in the veins of -the rock beyond the reach of pickaxe and spade. On the plain we fell in -with the camp of Mr. Murphy, who invited us into his tent, and set -before us refreshments that would have graced a scene less wild than -this. His tent is pitched in the midst of a small tribe of wild Indians -who gather gold for him, and receive in return provisions and blankets. -He knocks down two bullocks a day to furnish them with meat. Though -never before within the wake of civilization, they respect his person -and property. This, however, is to be ascribed in part to the fact that -he has married the daughter of the chief—a young woman of many personal -attractions, and full of that warm wild love which makes her the Haide -of the woods. She is the queen of the tribe, and walks among them with -the air of one on whom authority sets as a native grace,—a charm which -all feel, and of which she seems the least conscious. - -The men and boys were busy with their bows and arrows. A difficulty had -arisen between this tribe and one not far remote, and they were -expecting an attack. Though the less powerful tribe of the two, they -seemed not the least dismayed. The old men looked stern and grave, but -the boys were full of glee as if mustering for a deer-hunt. The mothers -with Spartan coolness were engaged in pointing arrows with flint stones, -so shaped that they easily penetrate and break off in the effort to -extract them, and always leave an ugly wound. They project these arrows -from their bows with incredible force, often burying them to the feather -in the luckless elk; the deer gives his last life-bound and falls, while -the unsuspecting foe drops unwarned from his saddle. I saw no signs of -intoxication among these Indians, and was told by Mr. Murphy that he -allowed no liquors in the camp. He said a trader brought there a few -days since a barrel of rum, and that he gave him exactly five minutes in -which to decide whether he would quit the grounds, or have the head of -the barrel knocked in. He of course took his fire-curse to some other -place. - - -WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4. Our camping-ground is in a broad ravine through which -a rivulet wanders, and which is dotted with the frequent tents of -gold-diggers. The sounds of the crowbar and pick, as they shake or -shiver the rock, are echoed from a thousand cliffs; while the hum of -human voices rolls off on the breeze to mingle with the barking of -wolves, who regard with no friendly eyes this intrusion into their -solitude. They resemble their great progenitrix, trembling in stone, as -the Vandals broke into Rome. But little care the gold-diggers about the -wolves, it is enough for them to know that this ravine contains gold; -and it must be dug out, though an earthquake may slumber beneath. If you -want to find men prepared to storm the burning threshold of the infernal -prison, go among gold-diggers. - -The provisions with which we left San José are gone, and we have been -obliged to supply ourselves here. We pay at the rate of four hundred -dollars a barrel for flour; four dollars a pound for poor brown sugar, -and four dollars a pound for indifferent coffee. And as for meat, there -is none to be got except jerked-beef, which is the flesh of the bullock -cut into strings and hung up in the sun to dry, and which has about as -much juice in it as a strip of bark dangling in the wind from a dead -tree. Still, when moistened and toasted, it will do something towards -sustaining life; so also will the sole of your shoe. And yet I have seen -men set and grind it as if it were nutritious and sweetly flavored. Oh -ye who lose your temper because your sirloin has rolled once too much on -the spit, come to the mines of California and eat jerked-beef! - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 5. The rivulet, which waters the ravine, collects here -and there into deep pools. Over one of these a low limb had thrown -itself, upon which I ventured out with an apparatus for scooping up the -sand at the bottom. But just as I had lowered my dipper the limb broke, -and down I went to the chin in water. It was some minutes before I could -extricate myself, and when I did there was not a dry thread on my body. -The chill of the stream reduced the gold fever in me very considerably. -I had brought no outward garments but those in which I stood; I wrung -out the water and hung them up in the sun to dry, and wound myself, like -an Indian, in my blanket. But I was not more savage in my aspect than in -my feelings. This, however, soon passed off, and I could laugh with -others at the gold plunge. But nothing is a novelty here for more than a -minute; were a man to cast his skin or lose his head, no one would stop -to inquire if he had recovered either, unless they suspected foul play, -and then they would arraign and execute the culprit before one of our -lawyers could pen an indictment. - - -FRIDAY, OCT. 6. The most efficient gold-washer here is the cradle, which -resembles in shape that appendage of the nursery, from which it takes -its name. It is nine or ten feet long, open at one end and closed at the -other. At the end which is closed, a sheet-iron pan, four inches deep, -and sixteen over, and perforated in the bottom with holes, is let in -even with the sides of the cradle. The earth is thrown into the pan, -water turned on it, and the cradle, which is on an inclined plane, set -in motion. The earth and water pass through the pan, and then down the -cradle, while the gold, owing to its specific gravity, is caught by -cleets fastened across the bottom. Very little escapes; it generally -lodges before it reaches the last cleet. It requires four or five men to -supply the earth and water to work such a machine to advantage. The -quantity of gold washed out must depend on the relative proportion of -gold in the earth. The one worked in this ravine yields a hundred -dollars a day; but this is considered a slender result. Most of the -diggers use the bowl or pan; its lightness never embarrasses their -roving habits; and it can be put in motion wherever they may find a -stream or spring. It can be purchased now in the mines for five or six -dollars; a few months since it cost an ounce—sixteen dollars for a -wooden bowl! But I have seen twenty-four dollars paid for a box of -seidlitz-powders, and forty dollars for as many drops of laudanum. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - LUMP OF GOLD LOST.—INDIANS AT THEIR GAME OF ARROWS.—CAMP OF THE - GOLD-HUNTERS.—A SONORANIAN GOLD-DIGGER.—SABBATH IN THE MINES.—THE - GIANT WELCHMAN.—NATURE OF GOLD DEPOSITS.—AVERAGE PER MAN.—NEW - DISCOVERIES. - -SATURDAY, OCT. 7. I had come to the mines without a pick, but this -morning fell in with a trader who had one for sale: his price was ten -dollars in specie, or eighteen in gold dust. I gave him the specie; the -pick weighed about four pounds, was of rude manufacture, and without a -handle; but this appendage was readily supplied from the limb of an ash. -Thus accoutred I strode down the ravine, not doubting but what I should, -before night, strike upon some deposit which would fill my pockets. -Passing groups who were engaged in digging into this bank and that, I -fell in with a sailor, whom I recognized as one of the men who had been -honorably discharged from the Savannah. He was groping about as if in -quest of something he had lost. “What is the matter, Jones?” I inquired; -he sprung to his feet, gave me his rough hand, and pointed to a cliff -which overhung the glen. “There, on that crag,” said he, “I have been at -work ever since the peep of day, and got out several bits of gold, and -one good-sized lump: I put them in my tin cup, when, striking away -again, my pick glanced, struck the cup, and knocked it, gold and all, -half-way across this ravine; and I might as well hunt a clam in the -Pacific as that gold, though it was a jewel of a piece—the biggest I -have seen here.” So I laid down my pick, ascended the cliff, -ascertained, as near as possible, the direction in which the cup flew, -and commenced the search. Every bunch of leaves, every hole and gulley -were examined, and the cup recovered, but the gold was not in it. - -Fatigued, I threw myself into the shade of a scrub-oak, and went to -sleep; but the gold of poor Jones glanced through my dreams. I saw, in -that fantastic realm, a small birch-tree, a bubbling spring at its root, -and in its fount a piece of gold. I seemed to know at the time it was -only a dream; still the picture remained in my mind so clear, so -distinct, that on awaking I identified at a glance the birch, and -springing to its root found the little fount, and with a hoe fetched up -the piece of gold!—the same that had been lost, for none other could -answer so exactly to the description which had been given. It weighed -about three ounces, but did not seem larger than the sparkling eye of -the sailor as I placed it in his hand. They may laugh who will at -dreams, but now and then some Sibyl leaf floats through them. I tried to -dream again where gold might be found; saw plenty of birch-trees and -fountains, but never discovered an ingot in either. - - -MONDAY, OCT. 9. On returning to our camping-tree this afternoon, I found -three wild Indians quietly squatted in its shade. They had been -attracted there by a red belt, which hung from one of the limbs. They -could speak only their native dialect, not a word of which could I -understand. We had to make ourselves intelligible by signs. They wanted -to purchase the belt, and each laid down a piece of gold, which were -worth in the aggregate some two hundred dollars. I took one of the -pieces, and gave the Indian to whom it belonged the belt. They made -signs for a piece of coin; I offered them an eagle, but it was not what -they wanted,—a Spanish mill dollar, but they wanted something smaller,—a -fifty-cent piece, and they signified it would do. Taking the coin they -fastened it in the end of a stick, so as to expose nearly the entire -circle, and set it up about forty yards distant. They then cast lots by -a bone, which they threw into the air, for the order in which they -should discharge their arrows. The one who had the first shot, drew his -long sinewy bow and missed; the second, he missed; the third, and he -missed,—though the arrow of each flew so near the coin it would have -killed a deer at that distance. The second now shot first and grazed the -coin; then the third, who broke his string and shot with the bow of the -second, but missed; and now the first took his turn, and struck the -coin, whirling it off at a great distance. The other two gave him the -belt, which he tied around his head instead of his blanket, and away -they started over the hills, full of wild life and glee, leaving the -coin, as a thing of no importance, in the bushes where it had been -whirled. - - -TUESDAY, OCT. 10. My companions, who have been out on a gold-hunt for -several hours, have just returned, bringing with them about an ounce of -gold each. They are so thoroughly fatigued they prefer sleep to a -dinner, connected with the trouble of preparing it. And there is no -other way here; every man is obliged to be his own cook. We have our -henchman, it is true, but he is in a ravine some four miles distant, in -charge of our horses and mules. If he will keep them from straying, or -being stolen by the wild Indians, we shall be content to wait on -ourselves. Several of the persons at work in the ravine turned their -horses adrift on their arrival, which they might safely do, for the poor -things have not got strength enough to climb its steep sides. They -subsist on the acorns which they gather, and a few tufts of grass as dry -and scorched as the clover over which the flames of Sodom rolled. But -what think men of the hunger or thirst of dumb animals, when the gold -fever is throwing its circle of fire around the soul. - - -WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11. It is near sunset, and the gold-diggers are -returning from their labors, each one bearing on his head a brush-heap, -with which he will kindle his evening fire. Their wild halloos, as they -come in, fill the cliffs with their echoes. All are merry, whatever may -have been the fortunes of the day with them. Not one among the whole can -anticipate a more luxurious supper than a cake baked in the ashes, with -a cup of coffee and a bit of jerked-beef, except in the case of a -new-comer, who has brought with him a few pounds of buckwheat flour; he -can have a pancake, that is if he has any thing with which to grease his -pan, which is extremely doubtful. There is not a bottle of liquor in the -ravine, and every one must, per force, turn in sober. Every streamlet -preaches temperance, and the wind-stirred pine sings its soft eulogy on -the charmed air. - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 12. I found near our camp this morning a boulder of trap -and quartz which had evidently travelled some distance, as nothing of -the kind existed in the ravine. I had no means of demolishing the mass, -and could with my pick only dislodge a few of the quartz: these I found -veined with gold. But it is the only specimen of this combination with -which I have met. Where the fellow came from, I know not; but had he -tumbled into New York or Philadelphia, instead of this cañada, the whole -community would have been filled with prattling wonders. How much the -marvellous depends on circumstances! - - -FRIDAY, OCT. 13. I passed a few days since a Sonoranian at work against -a steep bank of decomposed granite and clay, which was so firm that he -could hardly make an impression upon it with a heavy sharp-pointed -crowbar. “And what, my friend,” I inquired, “are you going to get out -there?” to which he replied, “A pocket of gold, sir, as soon as I can -reach it.” “And what makes you think,” I continued, “that you will find -a deposit there?” to which he responded, “Do you see that blow-hole on -the other side of the ravine, where the slate rock stands out so rough, -with a savage mouth in the centre? Well, sir, _that_ was the devil’s -blow-hole, and he blowed the gold straight across the ravine into this -bank, where I will find it, if I work long enough.” I thought him some -half-crazy fellow, and passed on. He dug away all that day without -reaching his pocket; but on the following day took out two pounds of -gold, in small pieces, resembling in shape the seeds of the watermelon. -As soon as this was known, four of the New York volunteers struck in -each side of the Sonoranian, and dug him out; and the old man very -quietly retired. The intruders dug away through the remainder of the -day, but found no gold, and then quit the spot, concluding that the -Sonoranian had got out the only pocket which existed there. The next -morning, however, the Sonoranian renewed his attack on the bank, and -with his sharp-pointed crowbar and pick, penetrated beyond the layer -where the volunteers had knocked off. Before night he struck another -pocket, and took out a pound and a half of gold of the same shape and -size as the other. The volunteers were now roused, and returned to the -spot, determined to dig down the whole bank; but one day of hard work, -unrewarded by a single particle of gold, was enough. They quitted the -bank in disgust. The old Sonoranian told me it contained no more -pockets. His theory about the blow-hole is by no means confined to his -own wild imagination; a man by the name of Black, who is one of the most -successful gold-hunters in the ravine, is guided, in his researches, by -the same seemingly absurd theory. It is possible that these blow-holes, -as they are called, were the vents of volcanoes, performing the same -functions as those found beneath the shaking cone of Etna. - - -SATURDAY, OCT. 14. A party of seven Americans are just in from the -higher slopes of the Sierra, where they have been prospecting for gold. -They penetrated to the snow, tearing up roots, overturning rocks and -draining fountains, but discovering no gold. It is the foot range of the -Sierra that contains the deposits; this has been cut into segments by -rapid streams, rising higher up, and which have sunk their channels into -deep gorges. The larger portion of the gold, subjected to the action of -these torrents, has been swept out upon the plain, or buried deep in -some nearer undulation, where it will remain undisturbed till the -deposits nearer the surface have been exhausted. These deeper treasures, -like the inhumed remains of a Herculaneum, will then be brought to -light. - - -SUNDAY, OCT. 15. A quiet day among the gold-diggers; but few are at work -with pick or pan; small parties have gone over the hills “prospecting,” -but the masses are beneath the oak and pines, which shadow the cañadas. -Missionaries might find a field here in this rolling population; the -waving grain, as well as the still, falls before the sickle of the -reaper. There is something inspiring in wild-wood worship; you are with -nature and nature’s God: every thing around you trembles in the breath -of the Almighty: the glad rivulet whispers his name, and the pine-grove -pours its sweeping anthem; your spirit soars on lighter wings, and -religion becomes, as another has beautifully expressed it, the play of -the soul in the sunbeams of God. - - -MONDAY, OCT. 16. I encountered this morning, in the person of a -Welchman, a pretty marked specimen of the gold-digger. He stood some six -feet eight in his shoes, with giant limbs and frame. A leather strap -fastened his coarse trowsers above his hips, and confined the flowing -bunt of his flannel shirt. A broad-rimmed hat sheltered his browny -features, while his unshorn beard and hair flowed in tangled confusion -to his waist. To his back was lashed a blanket and bag of provisions; on -one shoulder rested a huge crowbar, to which were hung a gold-washer and -skillet; on the other rested a rifle, a spade, and pick, from which -dangled a cup and pair of heavy shoes. He recognized me as the -magistrate who had once arrested him for a breach of the peace. “Well, -Señor Alcalde,” said he, “I am glad to see you in these diggings. You -had some trouble with me in Monterey; I was on a burster; you did your -duty, and I respect you for it; and now let me settle the difference -between us with a bit of gold: it shall be the first I strike under this -bog.” I told him there was no difference between us; that I knew at the -time it was rum which had raised the rumpus. But before I had finished -my disclaiming speech, his traps were on the ground, and his heavy pick -was tearing up bog after bog from the marl in which it had struck its -tangling roots. These removed, he struck a layer of clay: “Here she -comes!” he ejaculated, and turned out a piece of gold that would weigh -an ounce or more. “There,” said he, “Señor Alcalde, accept that; and -when you reach home, where I hope you will find all well, have a -bracelet made of it for your good lady.” - -He continued to dig around the same place, but during the hour I -remained with him found no other piece of gold—not a particle. This is -no uncommon thing; I have seen a piece weighing six ounces taken from -some little curve in a bank undulating in its bed, while not another of -any size, after the most laborious search, could be found in its -vicinity. This holds true of the larger pieces, but rarely of the scale -gold. Where you find half an ounce of that, you may be pretty sure there -is more near by. The same law which deposited that, has carried its -results much further; and you will find a clue to them in the curves of -the channel, or the character and position of the rocks which project -into it. If the projection is smooth, or forms an obtuse angle with the -current, there is no gold there, and you must look to the eddy directly -below it. This eddy, or its deposit, can be examined only when the water -has subsided. During the rainy season, and when the snows are melting on -the Sierra, no such investigations can be successfully prosecuted. Of -all metals the most difficult to reach and secure under water is gold. -It has a thousand modes of eluding your search, and escaping your -scooping implements. - - -TUESDAY, OCT. 17. A German this morning, picking a hole in the ground, -near our camping-tree, for a tent-pole, struck a piece of gold, weighing -about three ounces. As soon as it was known, some forty picks were -flying into the earth all around the spot. You would have thought the -ground had suddenly caved over some human being, who must be instantly -disinhumed or die. But the fellow sought was not the companion of the -digger, but the mate of the yellow boy accidentally found by the German. -But no such mate was discovered; the one found had slumbered thus alone -like Adam before the birth of Eve. How solitary that couch, though in -Paradise! Think of that, ye devotees of celibacy, who people your dreams -with fairies, and imagine a bliss amid the wrecks of the fall, which was -not the portion of man even before that moral catastrophe. - -But I forget the piece of gold; no fellow was found for it here; but in -a ravine, seven miles distant, a little girl this morning picked up what -she thought a curious stone, and brought it to her mother, who, on -removing the extraneous matter, found it a lump of pure gold, weighing -between six and seven pounds. The news of this discovery silenced all -the picks here for half an hour, and set as many tongues going in their -places. Twenty or thirty started at once to explore the wonders of this -new locality. Gold among hunters, like a magnet in the midst of -ferruginous bodies, attracts every thing to itself. - - -WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18. We are camped in the centre of the gold mines, in -the heart of the richest deposits which have been found, and where there -are many hundred at work. I have taken some pains to ascertain the -average per man that is got out; it must be less than half an ounce per -day. It might be more were there any stability among the diggers; but -half their time is consumed in what they call prospecting; that is, -looking up new deposits. An idle rumor, or mere surmise, will carry them -off in this direction or that, when perhaps they gathered nothing for -their weariness and toil. A locality where an ounce a day can be -obtained by patient labor is constantly left for another, which rumor -has enriched with more generous deposits. They who decry this -instability in others, may hold out for a time, but yield at last to the -same phrensied fickleness. I have never met with one who had the -strength of purpose to resist these roving temptations. He will not -swing a pick for an ounce a day, with the rumor of pounds ringing in his -ears. He shoulders his implements to chase this phantom of hope. - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 19. All the gold-diggers through the entire encampment, -were shaken out of their slumbers this morning by a report that a solid -pocket of gold had been discovered in a bend of the Stanislaus. In half -an hour a motley multitude, covered with crowbars, pickaxes, spades, -rifles, and wash-bowls, went streaming over the hills in the direction -of the new deposits. You would have thought some fortress was to be -stormed, or some citadel sapped. I had seen too much of these rumored -banks of gold to be moved from my propriety, and remained under my old -camping-tree. Near this I pecked out from a small crevice of slate rock, -a piece weighing about half an ounce. It had evidently travelled some -distance, and taken refuge from the propulsive storms of ages in this -little hiding-place, as a good man from the persecutions of the world -glides down at last to his sainted repose. But I have no compunction for -having disturbed this piece of gold; it may yet be shaped into an -ear-drop, and kiss the envied cheek of beauty; or it may be studded with -diamonds, and swell on a billow that seems to blush at the flash of its -ray; or it may be shaped into the marriage-ring, and set its seal on the -purest bliss that greets the visits of angels; or it may be stamped into -a coin, and as it drops into the hands of the widow or orphan, prove -that— - - “The secret pleasure of a generous act - Is the great mind’s great bribe.” - -But evening is returning, and with it the gold-diggers from their -pursuit of the new deposit. Their jokes, as they clatter down the slopes -of the ravine, are sufficient evidence that they have been on a -wild-goose chase. Disappointment will make a single man sober, but when -it falls on a multitude, is often converted into a source of railery and -fun. There is something extremely consoling in having the company of -others, when we have been duped through our vanity or exaggerated hopes. -This comfort was deeply felt by the diggers this evening. All had lost a -day, and with it the most enchanting visions of wealth. All had returned -hungry as a wolf on a desert; or a recluse listening in his last penance -to the sound of his cross-bones, shaken by the wind. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - VISIT TO THE SONORANIAN CAMP.—FESTIVITIES AND GAMBLING.—THE DOCTOR AND - TEAMSTER.—AN ALCALDE TURNED COOK.—THE MINER’S TATTOO.—THE LITTLE - DUTCHMAN.—NEW DEPOSITS DISCOVERED.—A WOMAN KEEPING A MONTÉ TABLE.—UP - TO THE KNEE AND NINE-PENCE.—THE VOLCANOES AND GOLD.—ARRIVAL OF A - BARREL OF RUM. - -FRIDAY, OCT. 20. I threw myself into my saddle at an early hour this -morning, and started for a cañada, about ten miles distant. The -foot-trail which I followed, lay over several sharp ridges to the quick -waves of the Stanislaus, and then up a steep mountain spur. I was -obliged to dismount, draw myself up by the bushes, and trust to the -fidelity of my horse to follow. At last we gained the summit, but it was -only to gaze down a wild precipitous descent, where the cliffs hung in -toppling terror. A vein of white quartz runs along the ridge, like a -line of unmelted snow, with here and there spangles of gold glittering -in the sun. I had no implement with me but my hunting-knife, and vainly -broke the point of that. I tried one of my pistols; the bullet knocked -out the gold-drop, but jewel and lead went over the steep verge -together. I let myself down by the bushes, blessing every lythe limb and -steadfast root, while my horse, more sagacious, fetched a circuit, and -reached the plain before me. - -Ascending another ridge, the ravine, which had induced this adventure, -lay in jagged wildness beneath. It was in uproarious life; an elk had -been shot; and the miners were feasting on its fat ribs. The repast was -hardly over, when the monté table, with its piles of gold, glimmered in -the shade. It was the great camp of the Sonoranians, and hundreds were -crowding around to reach the bank, and deposit their treasures on the -turn of a card. They seemed to play for the excitement, and often -doubled their stakes whether they won or lost. They apparently connect -no moral obliquity with the game; one of them, who sleeps near my -camping-tree, will kneel by the half hour on the sharp rock in his Ave -Marias, while the keen night-wind cuts his scarce clad frame, then rise -and stake his last dollar at monté. At the break of day he is on his -knees again, and his prayer trembles up with the first trill of the -waking birds. It was in this ravine that a few weeks since the largest -lump of gold found in California was discovered. It weighs twenty-three -pounds, is nearly pure, and cubic in its form. Its discovery shook the -whole mines; the shout of the _eureka_ swelled on the wind like the -cheer of seamen when the pharos breaks through a stormy night. I waved -my adieu to the miners, and fetching a bold circuit to the east, reached -at night-fall my camping-tree. - - -SATURDAY, OCT. 21. Extravagant charges here are often made as offsets. A -doctor of my acquaintance, wishing to remove to another cañada a few -miles off, tost his machine into an empty wagon, bound in that -direction, and on arriving, asked the teamster what he was to pay; the -reply was a hundred dollars! which was planked down without a word. Soon -after this the teamster had a grip of the cholic, from which he sought -relief in two or three of the doctor’s pills. The relieved patient now -asked what _he_ was to pay; the doctor, after a few moment’s -abstraction, in which he seemed to be rummaging his memory more than his -medicines, replied, “The charge is exactly one hundred dollars!” “Ah,” -said the wagoner, “I knew that cradle would yet rock thunder at me.” But -he paid the fee, and squared the account. - -I have been out for several hours this morning scouring a conical hill -crowned with quartz. I took with me the sailor, who knocked his cup of -gold out of sight by an accidental glance of his pick. We searched the -hill from top to bottom, shivered the quartz on its summit, and rummaged -among the fragments of the same, which the storms of ages had swept to -its base, but we found no gold. Following one of the slopes which -terminated in a glen, overhung with willows, and where a current had -flowed, we struck into a confined basin, where we found, among the -pebbles, a deposit of gold, and gathered, in the course of the day, -about two ounces; with beautiful trophies we returned to camp. - - -MONDAY, OCT. 23. It was now near noon, and my day to cook the dinner; so -I hastened back to our camping-tree, and piling up the half-extinguished -brands, soon raised a fire. Then taking a tin pan, which served -alternately as a gold-washer and a bread-tray, I turned into it a few -pounds of flour, a small solution of saleratus, and a few quarts of -water, and then went to work in it with my hands, mixing it up and -adding flour till I got it to the right consistency; then shaping it -into a loaf, raked open the embers, and rolled it in, covering it with -the live coals. While this baking was going on, I placed in a stew-pan, -after pounding it pretty well between two stones, a string of -jerked-beef, with a small quantity of water, and lodged it on the fire. -Then taking some coffee, which had been burnt the evening before, I tied -it in the end of a napkin, and hammering it to pieces between two -stones, turned it into a coffee-pot filled with water, and placed that, -too, on the fire. In half an hour or so my bread was baked, my jerk-beef -stewed, and my coffee boiled. I settled the latter by turning on it a -pint of cold water. The bread was well done; a little burnt on one side, -and somewhat puffed up, like the expectations of the gold-digger in the -morning, or the vanity of a stump-orator just after a cheer. My -companions returned, and seating ourselves on the ground, each with a -tin cup of coffee, a junk of bread, and a piece of the stewed jerky, our -dinner was soon dispatched, and with a relish which the epicure never -yet felt or fancied. The water here is slightly impregnated with iron -and sulphur; the one acting as a tonic, the other as an aperient. And -then this fine mountain air, some eight hundred feet above the level of -the sea, all conduce to health and buoyancy of spirits. Among the -hundred gold-diggers around, not one hypochondriac throws on rock or -rill the shadow of a long countenance. Even they who hardly get out gold -enough to pay their way, laugh at their bad luck, and hope for better -success to-morrow. They have yet plenty of tickets in the lottery, and -some of them may turn out prizes. At any rate, they are not going to -despond while these glens contain an undisturbed bar, or these hills -lift their cones of white rock in the sun. - - -TUESDAY, OCT. 24. The ravine in which we are camped runs nearly north -and south, and is walled by lofty ranges of precipitous rock. It is near -ten o’clock of the day before the rays of the sun strike its depths; but -when they do reach you, it is with a power that drives you at once into -the shade. It is twilight in the glen, while the cliffs above still -blaze in the radiance of the descending orb. As darkness comes on, the -camp-fires of the diggers, kindled along the ravine, throw their light -into every recess, where forms are seen, gathered in groups, or glancing -about, while every now and then some merry tale or apt joke explodes in -a roar of laughter. At eight o’clock every tin pan and brass kettle is -put in requisition, and the thumpers beat a tattoo, which is concluded -with the simultaneous discharge of several muskets. The jargon is enough -to frighten the wolf out of his cavern; and yet no harmony that ever -rolled from theatrical orchestra or cathedral choir, can charm you half -as much. It is the music of the heart reeling itself off through tin -pans in melodious numbers. But the musicians are now all sound asleep; -their camp-fires wane, and there is only heard the dirge of the pines, -murmuring in the night-wind. Thousands who lie on beds of down, under -canopies of silk, might envy the sleepers on these rocks their quiet -repose. The stars gaze on no groups where slumber shakes from its wings -such a refreshing dew. - - -WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25. A little Dutchman came to me this morning, and -informed me, in whispers, that he and his companion had, unbeknown to -the rest, stolen off to a glen about three miles distant, where they had -found a rich deposit, and then invited me to come and share it with -them. He took my pan, which had served as a bread-tray, and we wound -over the hills to his glen. Here we found his red-haired companion, -knee-deep in mud, which he was shovelling out to reach the bed of clay -beneath. On this bed lay the gold in grains about the size of -wheat-kernels. Every now and then the water, which was as cold as ice, -would gather in the hole, and required to be bailed out or drained off. -The chill of the water was enough for me; I had tried that once before, -and felt no disposition to repeat the experiment. The mud I could stand, -for I was already dirty as a pig just rolling out of his _siesta_. So I -told my young friends to go to work, and I would poke about the edges. -They urged me to jump in; and truly the temptation was strong, and -required some share of prudence to resist it, but I contented myself -with working where I could keep my feet dry. But they several times -called for my pan, and filled it with earth, scraped from the clay bed, -which I washed out, and then found at the bottom fifteen or twenty -dollars in gold. They obtained, as the result of their joint labors -through the day, about a thousand dollars. Night was advancing, and I -returned over the hills to our camping-tree. - - -THURSDAY, OCT. 26. Where is the little Dutchman and the red-haired -Paddy? ran in excited inquiry through the ravine this morning, for they -had now been missed from the camp twenty-four hours, and no doubt -existed on the minds of many that they had found a rich deposit -somewhere, and were secretly working it out. I knew well where they -were, but no one thought of questioning me on the subject, for I was -looked upon as a sort of amateur gold-hunter, very much given to -splitting rocks and digging in unproductive places; and, indeed, this -was not far from the truth, for my main object was information, and a -specimen of wild mountain life. - -But to return to the little Dutchman. All knew him to be a shrewd -gold-hunter, and determined to find him before he should exhaust his -discovery. No child lost in the woods ever awakened half the concern: -some started in this direction, others in that, till all the cardinal -points in the heaven, and all the glens between, had men travelling -towards them. The most curious feature in this business is, that out of -a regiment of gold-hunters, where the utmost apparent confusion -prevails, the absence of two men should be noticed. But the motions of -every man are watched. Even when he gathers up his traps, takes formal -leave, and is professedly bound home, he is tracked for leagues. No -disguise can avail him; the most successful war-stratagem would fail -here. - - -FRIDAY, OCT. 27. I have just returned from another ravine, five miles -distant, where there are eighty or a hundred gold-diggers. They are -mostly Sonoranians, and, like all their countrymen, passionately devoted -to gambling. They were playing at monté; the keeper of the bank was a -woman, and herself a Sonoranian. There was no coin on the table; the -bank consisted of a pile of gold, weighing, perhaps, a hundred pounds; -and each of the players laid down his ounce or pound, as his means or -courage permitted. The woman, on the whole, appeared to be the winner, -though one man, in the course of half an hour, took ten pounds from her -yellow pile. But such a loss was felt only for the moment, and only had -the effect to stimulate others to lose what little they had left. A -Sonoranian digs out gold simply and solely that he may have the -wherewithal for gambling. This is the rallying thought which wakes with -him in the morning, which accompanies him through the day, and which -floats through his dreams at night. For this he labors, and cheerfully -denies himself every comfort. All this is the result of habit. A -Mussulman looks upon gambling as a species of larceny,—as a crime which -deserves the bastinado. I saw a Turkish cadi at Smyrna sentence a man to -thirty-nine lashes for having, as he termed it, _swindled_ another out -of fifty dollars at faro. Give me a Turk where there is a rogue to be -caught or a crime punished. The flashings of the sword of justice follow -the crime as light the shark in a phosphoric sea. - - -SATURDAY, OCT. 28. A portion of the party that went in quest of the -little Dutchman have found him, and helped him to dig out his new -deposit—a sort of assistance for which he can feel no very profound -obligation. It was much like that rendered by Prince Hal in the division -of the spoils secured by the knight of sack at Gad’s hill. A successful -gold-hunter is like the leader of hounds in the chase—the whole pack -comes sweeping after, and are sure to be in at the death. No doubling -hill, or covert, or stream throws them upon a false scent. I advise all -fox-hunters to come here and train their hounds, and throw away their -horns. Even his Grace of Wellington, who is still so hotly keen in the -chase, that the snows of eighty winters fall from his locks unperceived, -might catch some valuable hints in the gold mines of California. - - -MONDAY, OCT. 30. I encountered to-day, in a ravine some three miles -distant, among the gold-washers, a woman from San José. She was at work -with a large wooden bowl, by the side of a stream. I asked her how long -she had been there, and how much gold she averaged a day. She replied, -“Three weeks and an ounce.” Her reply reminded me of an anecdote of the -late Judge B——, who met a girl returning from market, and asked her, -“How deep did you find the stream? what did you get for your butter?” -“Up to the knee and nine-pence,” was the reply. Ah! said the judge to -himself; she is the girl for me—no words lost there: turned back, -proposed, was accepted, and married the next week; and a more happy -couple the conjugal bonds never united: the nuptial lamp never waned; -its ray was steady and clear to the last. Ye, who paddle off and on for -seven years, and are at last perhaps capsized, take a lesson of the -judge. That “up to the knee and nine-pence” is worth all the rose -letters and melancholy rhymes ever penned. But I am wandering; I did -intend to write this journal without an episode, but they will keep -forcing themselves in, like the curiosity of the crowd in a family jar, -or remembrances of wrong upon a guilty conscience. I know the interest -of a journal depends much on the continuity of its thread; but it is the -easiest thing in the world to be continuously stupid, and _that_ is my -apology for these episodical breaks. If the reader don’t like this -reason, then let him look up a better; while I plunge into that -o’ershadowed glen, and see if it contains any gold. - - -TUESDAY, OCT. 31. I have collected, since my arrival in the mines, -several singular and beautiful specimens of the gold. One of the pieces -resembles a pendulous ear-drop, and must have assumed that shape when -the metal was in a state of fusion. That all the gold here has once been -in that state is sufficiently evident from the forms in which it is -found. I have a specimen, weighing several ounces, in which the -characteristics of the slate rock are as palpable as if they had been -engraved. I have another specimen, in which a clear crystal of quartz is -set, with a finish of execution which no jeweller can rival. I have -another specimen still, where the gold gleams up, in the shape of -buck-shot, from a basis of sandstone; and another still, where it has -taken the form of a paper-folder, and may be used to cut the leaves of a -book, which have escaped the knife of the binder. A most interesting -cabinet of curiosities might be gathered from the variety of -combinations and forms which the gold in these mines has assumed. Nature -never indulged in fancies more elegant and whimsical. If these are the -works of the volcano, then jewellers, instead of looking to the -laboratories of Paris, or Amsterdam, for models, should come and seat -themselves by the side of these craters. Here are laboratories, which no -human power has constructed, and models, which no human skill can rival. - - -WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1. There are several persons among the gold-diggers here -who rarely use any implement but their wooden bowls. Into these they -scrape the dirt left by others, which they stir and whirl till the gold -gradually works its way to the bottom. The earth, as these heavier -particles descend, is thrown off by the hands, and the gold remains. -This process is what they call dry washing: it is resorted to where -there is no water in the vicinity, and will answer pretty well where the -gold is found in coarse grains; but the finer particles, of course, -escape. The Sonoranians obviate this difficulty to some extent by -calling their lungs into requisition. They rub the earth into their -bowls, through their hands, detaching and throwing away all the pebbles, -and then blow off the sand and dust, leaving the gold at the bottom. But -on some of the streams, particularly the Yuba, the gold is too fine even -for this process. It is amusing to see a group of Sonoranians, seated -around a deposit, blowing the earth out of their bowls. But for the dust -they raise, you would think they were cooling hasty-pudding. Their -cheeks swell out, like the chops of a squirrel, carrying half the -beech-nuts on a tree to his hole. A more provident fellow he than his -two-legged superior! He lays in his stores against the inclemency of -winter; while the Sonoranian squanders his at the gambling-table. There -is more practical wisdom in an ant-hill than is often found in a city. -But I am digressing again—a propensity which I shall never get over. - - -THURSDAY, NOV. 2. Quite a sensation was produced among the gold-diggers -this morning by the arrival of a wagon from Stockton, freighted with -provisions and a barrel of liquor. The former had been getting scarce, -and the latter had long since entirely given out. The prices of the -first importation were—flour, two dollars a pound; sugar and coffee, -four dollars; and the liquor, which was nothing more nor less than New -England rum, was twenty dollars the quart. But few had bottles: every -species of retainer was resorted to; some took their quart cups, some -their coffee-pots, and others their sauce-pans; while one fellow, who -had neither, offered ten dollars to let him suck with a straw from the -bung. All were soon in every variety of excitement, from prattling -exhilaration, to roaring inebriety. Some shouted, some danced, and some -wrestled: a son of Erin poured out his soul on the beauties of the -Emerald isle; a German sung the songs of his father-land; a Yankee -apostrophized the mines, which swelled in the hills around; an -Englishman challenged all the bears in the mountain glens to mortal -combat; and a Spaniard, posted aloft on a beetling crag, addressed the -universe. The multitudinous voices which rang from every chasm and cove -of the ravine, rivalled the roar that went up around the tower of Babel. -But night has come; the camp-fires burn dim; and the revellers are at -rest, save here and there one who strides about in his delirium, -commanding silence among the wolves who bark from the hills. What -exciting, elevating, and expanding powers there are in a barrel of New -England rum! It makes one to-day monarch of peopled realms, and their -riches; but leaves him to-morrow in rags, and with only ground enough in -which to sink his pauper grave. - - “Thou sparkling bowl! thou sparkling bowl! - Though lips of bards thy brim may press, - And eyes of beauty o’er thee roll, - And song and dance thy power confess— - I will not touch thee; for there clings - A scorpion to thy side that stings.” - PIERPONT. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - NATURAL AMPHITHEATRE.—NO SCIENTIFIC CLUE TO THE DEPOSITS OF GOLD.—SOIL - OF THE MINES.—LIFE AMONG THE GOLD-DIGGERS.—LOSS OF OUR - CABALLADA.—THE OLD MAN AND ROCK.—DEPARTURE FROM THE - MINES.—TRAVELLING AMONG GORGES AND PINNACLES.—INSTINCTS OF THE - MULE.—A MOUNTAIN CABIN. - -FRIDAY, NOV. 3. At the head of the ravine, where our camping-trees wave, -stands an amphitheatre reared by nature, and unrivalled in the grandeur -of its proportions, and the stateliness and strength of its -architecture. It unrolls its wild magnificence on the eye with a more -majestic power than even Rome’s great wonder. From its ample arena, -circling ranges of crags soar one over the other to the lofty sweep of -the architrave, where sentinel-trees toss their branches against the -sky. Had nature reared this theatre on the banks of the Tiber, the -beauty and bravery of Rome would have flashed over the arena’s -gladiatorial tumult. But it was here in California, where even the Roman -eagle, in its earth-embracing circuit, flew not. - -A new deposit was discovered this morning near the falls of the -Stanislaus, and in the crevices of the rocks over which the river pours -its foaming sheet. An Irishman had gone there to bathe, and in throwing -off his clothes, had dropped his jack-knife, which slipped into a -crevice, where he first discovered the gold. He was soon tracked, and in -less than an hour a storm of picks and crowbars were shivering the -rocks. The accessible pockets were readily exhausted, but beyond these -only the drill and blast of the practical miner can extend. And this is -true of all the rock-gold in California; the present harvest glows near -the surface; but there are under-crops, which the sunlight has never -visited. Deep mining here, as elsewhere, will be attended with uncertain -results; but a fount so capacious on its rim, must have its replenishing -depths. The largest fish are taken with the longest line. - - -SATURDAY, NOV. 4. The deposits here baffle all the pretensions of -science. The volcanoes did their work by no uniform geological law; they -burst out at random, and scattered their gold in wanton caprice. Were -not those old Vulcans dead, they would laugh at the blundering vanity -exhibited around them. The old landmarks are the quartz; these are -general indications, but too vague when applied to alluvial deposits, -and frequently serve only to bewilder and betray. We have a young -geologist here who can unroll the whole earth, layer by layer, from -surface to centre, and tell the properties of each, and how it came to -be deposited there, who unsuspectingly walked over a bank of gold, which -a poor Indian afterwards stirred out with a stick. I have seen this -_savan_ camp down and snore soundly through the night, with a half-pound -piece of gold within a few inches of his nose; and then rise at peep of -day to push his learned theory into some ledge of rocks, where not a -particle of the yellow ore ever existed. I have seen a digger take from -a bank of decomposed granite, in a space not larger than a man’s hat, -between three and four pounds of gold, while his only clue to it was a -blast on the opposite side of the glen, through which he believed the -deil had blown the gold into the bank, where he was at work. What a -burlesque on all geological laws as applied to gold deposits! There is -only one of these laws, in reference to alluvial deposits, worth a pin, -and that is the simple fact that a heavy body will tumble down hill -faster than a lighter one, or that a nut shaken from a tree will drop -through the fog to the ground. - - -SUNDAY, NOV. 5. I rose this morning with the intention of proposing to -the diggers a religious service. But mid-day came, and only here and -there one broke from slumbers doubly deep from the overpowering fatigues -of the week. In a shaded recess of the hills three of us found a little -sanctuary: neither of the two with me was a professor of religion, but -each retained in vivid remembrance the religious instructions of his -childhood and youth. Time and distance had not effaced these -impressions; each lettered trace remained as legible as the footprints -of the primeval bird in the fossil rock. Such is the inscription of -parental fidelity on the heart of a child: the wave may wear away the -mound which it laves, and the marble dissolve under the touch of time, -but _that_ inscription remains. - - -MONDAY, NOV. 6. Vein-gold in these rocks is as uncertain and capricious -as lightning; it straggles where you least expect it, and leaves only a -stain where its quick volume seemed directed. It threads its way in a -rock without crevice or crack, and where its continuity becomes at times -too subtle for the naked eye, and then suddenly bulges out like a lank -snake that has swallowed a terrapin. The great Hebrew proverbialist says -there are three things about which there is no certainty,—the way of an -eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in -the midst of the sea; and he might have added—the way of a thread of -gold in a vein of California quartz; but probably California, with its -treasures, had not then been discovered, though some of our wiseacres -are trying to make out that this _el dorado_ was the Ophir of the Old -Testament: if so, the men of Joppa must have been pretty good seamen, -especially as they had no compass. It may be, but I somewhat doubt it, -that the Hottentots or Patagonians are the descendants of some -shipwrecked men bound in a wherry from Tarsus to California. The -adventurers, even in that case, would have been quite as sober in their -calculations as some who put to sea on a gold-hunt in these days. - - -TUESDAY, NOV. 7. The price of provisions here is no criterion of their -market value on the seaboard, or even at the embarcaderos nearest the -mines. The cost of a hundred pounds of flour at Stockton, only sixty -miles distant, is twenty dollars; but here it is two hundred dollars. -This vast disparity is owing to the difficulty of transportation and the -absence of competition. But few can be persuaded to leave the -expectations of the pick for the certainties of the pack—the promises of -the cradle for the fulfilments of the freighted wagon. All live on -drafts upon the future, and though disappointed a hundred times, still -believe the results of to-morrow will more than redeem the broken -pledges of to-day. Though all else may end in failure, hope is not -bankrupt here. - -The soil in the mines is evidently volcanic; it resembles in places the -ashes which cover Pompeii. You can walk through it when dry, though -every footstep stirs a little cloud; but when saturated with the winter -rain you slump to the middle. No horse can force his way forward; every -struggle but sinks him the deeper, and the miner himself retires to his -cabin, as thoroughly cut off from the peopled districts of the coast, as -a sailor wrecked on some rock at sea. Years must elapse before human -enterprise can bridge a path to these mines, or render communication -practicable in the rainy season; nor at any period can heavy machinery -be transported here without an immense outlay of capital. The quartz -rock has yet some time to roll back the sunlight before it crumbles -under the steam-stamper. - - -WEDNESDAY, NOV. 8. Some fifty thousand persons are drifting up and down -these slopes of the great Sierra, of every hue, language, and clime, -tumultuous and confused as a flock of wild geese taking wing at the -crack of a gun, or autumnal leaves strown on the atmospheric tides by -the breath of the whirlwind. All are in quest of gold; and, with eyes -dilated to the circle of the moon, rush this way and that, as some new -discovery, or fictitious tale of success may suggest. Some are with -tents, and some without; some have provisions, and some are on their -last ration; some are carrying crowbars; some pickaxes and spades; some -wash-bowls and cradles; some hammers and drills, and powder enough to -blow up the rock of Gibraltar—if they can but get under it, as the -monkeys do, when they make their transit, through a sort of Thames -tunnel, from the golden but barren sands of Africa to the green hills of -Europe. Wise fellows they, notwithstanding the length of their -tails—they won’t stay on the Congo side of the strait, to gather gold, -when, by crossing, they can gather grapes. Wisdom is justified of her -children. - -But I was speaking of the gold-hunters here on the slopes of the Sierra. -Such a mixed and motley crowd—such a restless, roving, rummaging, ragged -multitude, never before roared in the rookeries of man. As for mutual -aid and sympathy—Samson’s foxes had as much of it, turned tail to, with -firebrands tied between. Each great camping-ground is denoted by the -ruins of shovels and shanties, the bleaching bones of the dead, -disinhumed by the wolf, and the skeleton of the culprit, still swinging -in the wind, from the limb of a tree, overshadowed by the raven. From -the deep glen, the caverned cliff, the plaintive rivulet, the croaking -raven, and the wind-toned skeleton come voices of reproachful -interrogation— - - “Slave of the dark and dirty mine! - What vanity has brought thee here?” - - -THURSDAY, NOV. 9. Our baccaro came in this morning, and startled us with -the intelligence that last night, while he was on the watch—sound -asleep, of course—the wild Indians came, and stole all our horses and -mules, save one, little Nina, whom he had tethered close to his post. -Rather an awkward predicament for us, in the California mountains, three -hundred miles from home, and our horses and mules in the hands of wild -Indians, driving them off into some unknown fastness, to be killed for -food! But I was on the trail of a small piece of gold, and followed it -up with that sort of listless equanimity with which a man will sometimes -pick up a curious shell on the rocks where his vessel floats in -fragments. If you would acquire those habits which no disaster can -disturb, come to California. One year here will do more for your -philosophy than a life elsewhere. I have seen a man sit, and quietly -smoke his cigar, while his dwelling went heavenward in a column of -flame. It seemed as if it were enough for him that his wife and children -were safe, and that the green earth, with its bright-eyed flowers and -laughing rills, remained; so let the old tenement pass off in smoke to -pall some mountain peak, or throw its dusky shadow where— - - “The owlet builds his ivy tower.” - - -FRIDAY, NOV. 10. The Sonoranian, who has been one of the most successful -diggers in the ravine, besieged me to-day to sell him my pistols. They -are an elegant pair, silver mounted and rifle bore, and good for duck or -duelist—no matter which—for twenty or thirty paces. He offered me a -pound of gold; so I determined to try the non-resistant principle, and -let him have them. As he belted them about his waist, and strode off, -you would have advised even a California bear to get out of his way. How -well prepared for a last extremity is a man with a new weapon at his -side, or a new patent pill in his pocket! The only difference is, that -with the former he may chance to kill some one else, and with the latter -he is pretty sure to kill himself. But I promised to make no more -remarks; my apology must be the loss of our horses, the probable -necessity of being obliged to pick our way home on foot, and the refuge -which even an irrelevant thought affords from such a dismal prospect. -Men have betrayed flashes of humor on the block—an evanescent ray on the -verge of endless night! Then why should not my poor pill have place in -the pedestrian prospect of three hundred miles, and that, too, through a -region marked only by the footprints which linger dimly in the trail of -the wild Indian? - - -SATURDAY, NOV. 11. I encountered an old man to-day, sitting listlessly -on a rock under the broken shade of a decayed oak. A few gray hairs -strayed from under his camping-cap, and his face was deeply wrinkled; -but his eye flashed, at intervals, with the fires of an unquenched -spirit. He had not, as he told me, obtained an ounce of gold in this -ravine, and was about trying some other locality. I advised him to roll -over the rock on which he was sitting; he said he would do it to please -me; but as for gold, he might as well look for a weasel in a watchman’s -rattle. The rock was easily rolled from its inclined position; beneath -it was found a layer of moss, and beneath this, in the crevices of -another rock, a deposit of gold, in the shape of pumpkin-seeds, bright -as if fresh from the mint, and weighing over half a pound. The eyes of -the old man sparkled; but he was thinking of his home and those left -behind. - - -SUNDAY, NOV. 12. Could the parents of the youth in these glens cast a -glance at their children, what a tide of affection and concern would -rush through their hearts! No treasured ship at sea was ever environed -by deeper perils; storms lower in thick darkness above, and breakers -thunder below, and no pharos throws its friendly ray from the shrouded -cliff. The only light they have to guide them is in their own -tempest-tost bark, and the lamp in the binnacle is dim. The merchant who -should send his ship to sea without compass or rudder, would not be more -frantic and foolish than the parent who sends his son out upon the world -without any religion in his soul. These youths in these glens are to -shape the destinies of California; under their hands her political, -social, and moral institutions are to be reared. Unless religion lie at -the foundations, these structures, though columned with gold, will fall. -It was frailty and rottenness at the base that has left all the proud -fabrics of the Old World a storied mass of ruins. - - -MONDAY, NOV. 13. A mounted company of gold-diggers arrived on our -camping premises last evening, and we struck in for four horses, which -we purchased at their own prices. Mine is an Indian pony from Oregon, -full of heart and hardihood; but as for ease of motion, you might as -well ride a trip-hammer. But an extremity makes the most indifferent -gift of nature a blessed boon. - -We reduced our effects to the fewest articles possible, and packing -these, with provisions for three or four days, upon little Nina, were -ready for a start. Two Oregonian trappers joined us, and before the -sun’s rays struck the depths of the ravine, we were off, with three -hearty cheers from the diggers. An hour brought us to the summit of an -elevation, beneath which lay, in panoramic life, the ravines, rivulets, -rambling paths, and roving groups of the gold-hunters. I have walked on -the roaring verge of Niagara, through the grumbling parks of London, on -the laughing boulevards of Paris, among the majestic ruins of Rome, in -the torch-lit galleries of Herculaneum, around the flaming crater of -Vesuvius, through the wave-reflected palaces of Venice, among the -monumental remains of Athens, and beneath the barbaric splendors of -Constantinople: but none of these, nor all combined, have left in my -memory a page graven with more significant and indelible characters than -the gold _diggins_ of California. - -Our route lay for several miles through a succession of narrow ravines, -above which soared the stupendous steeps of a mountain range, through -which some convulsion of nature had sunk these shadowy chasms. Here and -there some giant bluff had plunged into the winding abyss, as if to shut -out the profane intruder from its silent sanctuaries. These granite -gates became at last so frequent, that we determined to try the ridge, -the table-rock, or less precipitous slope. We wound up the steep sides -of the pass one by one, as a weary bird at sea scales the tempest-cloud; -and at last emerged upon a lofty range of trap, feathered by the fir and -low pine, and where the eagle had made himself a home. A wide sea of -chasms and cones lay around us. These were evidently the bleak monuments -of volcanoes, which ages since had rested from their labors. The sun -threw its level rays along their summits, while the abysses lay in -perpetual shadow. No path threw its trail on the eye. Rounding a -pinnacle, which stood as a fortress at the abrupt termination of one of -the ranges, we discovered a slope which slanted off less steeply than -the rest. Here, dismounting, we let ourselves down for several hundred -yards by the bushes; Nina, sure of foot as a fox, followed first; my -Indian pony next; and then the rest, as the docility or courage of each -induced. All our horses had been trained by mountaineers, and well knew, -if left behind, what must be their fate. What a strange affection for -such an animal springs up at such an hour as this! As he comes down to -join you, selecting you out as his rider, snuffing about you, and -inviting you to mount again, you involuntarily throw your arms about his -neck, and try to make him understand the kindness you feel for him. - - -We discovered in the last flashes of twilight a gush of waters from the -rocks, which beetled over a cañada, where the grass was fresh from the -showering spray. We had struck this spot through no sagacity of our own; -Nina, snuffing the water long before it flashed upon us, had turned into -the ravine, and dashed ahead upon the gallop. Here we camped for the -night. The dried willows supplied us with fuel, the cascade with water, -and our panniers with a piece of pork, and a few pounds of flour, which -the kneading-tray and embers soon converted into bread. The stones were -made to grind our coffee, and we were soon seated to a supper from which -the epicure might perhaps turn away, but which these rough mountains -made a luxury. And then the repose, though on the earth with your saddle -for a pillow, yet how refreshing and profound! Nor bark of wolf, nor -murmur of cascade, nor rustle of the bear disturbed my dreams that -night. - - -TUESDAY, NOV. 14. We were up, had taken our coffee, and were ready for a -start, while as yet only the whispering trees on the higher cliffs had -been greeted by the sun. Our course, which was determined by a -pocket-compass, now lay among mountain spurs, till we reached the -rollers, which ridge the plain of the San Joaquin. In a copse of birch, -which shadows one of these, we discovered a spring, where we lunched and -rested for an hour, while our animals refreshed themselves on the grass, -still green on the marge of the fount. We were now off for a hard ride -of several hours. My little Indian hammered into it with a resolution -that paid but little heed to the discomfort of his rider. Our object was -to reach before night-fall the cabin of an old friend, who had nested -himself out here among these wild mountain crags. We dashed around this -steep, and over that, like hunters in the chase; while Nina, without -rein or rider, led the way. We had no trail to guide us,—only the -instinct of our animals, and that sagacity which a mountain life -converts into a sort of prophetic knowledge. The day was dying fast, and -no gleam of the cabin cheered the eye. The night would render all search -hopeless. At last we struck the stream on which we knew the cabin stood, -but whether up or down its current, we could not decide; but Nina, after -pausing a moment, led quick and resolutely up the stream, and we struck -in after. The step of a weasel may turn the balanced rock. - -Three miles of fast riding brought us to a grove of oak, now wrapped in -the purple twilight. Along this we streamed till reaching a bold bend, -which circled up into its shadows, when the fagot flame of the cottage -struck the eye. Our horses bounded forward on the gallop, knowing as -well as we that the weary day was now over. Here we found my friend, Dr. -Isabell and his good lady, who gave us a hearty welcome. True, their -cabin had but one room in it; but what of that?—hearts make a home in -the wilderness. Our first care was for our animals, which were soon -watered and turned into a rich meadow, with a faithful Indian to watch -them through the night. Our busy hostess soon announced -supper—beefsteak, omelet, hot rolls, and coffee, with sugar and cream! -If you want to know how that supper relished, come and live a month in -the mines of California. We run over our adventures since leaving -Monterey, and they chimed in well with those of our host in his -wild-wood home. Kindred and friends far away came sweeping down on the -stream of memory, and gathered life-like and warm at our sides. We lived -over again all our school-days, our rustic sports, our husking-bees, our -youthful loves, and those stolen kisses, which the sterner rules of -refinement have interdicted only to give place to Polkas, in which -modesty is too much bewildered to blush. Our hospitable friends welcomed -us to all the sleeping comforts which their cabin afforded; but we -camped under the trees, and were soon afloat in the realm of dreams, -amid its visioned forms. - - “Alas! that dreams are only dreams! - That fancy cannot give - A lasting beauty to those forms, - Which scarce a moment live.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - A LADY IN THE MOUNTAINS.—TOWN OF STOCKTON.—CROSSING THE VALLEY OF THE - SAN JOAQUIN.—THE ROBBED FATHER AND BOY.—RIDE TO SAN JOSÉ.—RUM IN - CALIFORNIA.—HIGHWAYMEN.—WOODLAND LIFE.—RACHEL AT THE WELL.—FAREWELL - TO MY CAMPING-TREE. - -WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15. Another day had dawned fresh and brilliant; we -breakfasted with our friends, who ordered up their horses, and started -with us for Stockton, twelve miles distant. Our lady hostess and myself -led off; she had crossed the Rocky Mountains on horseback into -California, and was, of course, at home in the saddle. She was mounted -on a spirited animal, and my little Indian almost blew the wind out of -him to keep up. My companion, though accomplished in all the refinements -of metropolitan life, was yet in love with the wild scenes in which her -lot had been cast. The rose of health blushed in her cheek, and the -light of a salient soul revelled in her eye. “I would not exchange,” she -said, “my cabin for any palace in Christendom. I have all that I want -here, and what more could I have elsewhere? I have tried luxury without -health, and a wild mountain life with it. Give me the latter, with the -free air, the dashing streams, the swinging woods, the laughing flowers, -and the exulting birds; and - - “Let him who crawls enamored of decay, - Cling to his couch, and sicken years away.” - -We were now at Stockton, the nucleus of a town at the head waters of a -narrow arm of the San Joaquin. The site is well chosen; its central -position to the gold mines, the broad fertile plain which spreads around -it, and the water communication which connects it with the commerce of -the Sacramento and San Francisco, will lift it into a town of the first -importance. Charles Weber, a gentleman much esteemed for his liberality -and enterprise, is the owner of the land now occupied by the town, and -many leagues adjacent. He has given spacious lots to all who would erect -buildings. His policy is marked with wisdom; he will find his advantage -in the results. His ample store is well filled with provisions, -groceries, and ready-made clothing. The amount of business is immense, -and the profits would phrensy our Philadelphia merchants. - -We found Stockton without a hotel, the private houses unfinished; and, -caring but little for either, camped under the trees. We took supper -with Mr. Weber, and, at a late hour, wound ourselves in our blankets for -repose. The dew fell heavy, but we slept through it without the least -harm. A hydropathist might have exchanged his sheet for a twist in one -of our wet blankets. But we had no rheumatic joints to be relaxed, and -no bone-burrowed mercury to be douched. What an envied lot, that of the -pearl-diver! He gets not only his bath, but a pearl besides. And what a -happy fellow is a fish! He is always head and tail in the hydropathic -process. I wonder if it is not this that gives the shark such an -appetite, and lends wings to the flying-fish. Even the bullfrog comes up -only to twang his joy, and the whale to blow off his excess of pleasure, -while the mermaid, lost in transport, sings in her coral hall till the -listening naiads feel - - “Their souls dissolve in her melodious breath.” - - -THURSDAY, NOV. 16. Replenishing our panniers with hard bread, and a few -pounds of dried venison and coffee, we bade adieu to our Oregonian -friends and the hospitable proprietor of Stockton, and were off for our -distant home. Our trail for sixteen miles lay through an arid plain, -when we brought up on the bold bank of the San Joaquin. Our saddles, -bridles, packs, and persons were thrown into a boat, our horses driven -into the stream, and over we dashed to the opposite bank, where we paid -two dollars each for our ferriage, and mounted for a fresh start. It was -near sunset when we reached the line of trees which belt, with their -thick umbrage, the great valley which stretches in barrenness beyond. -Here we camped for the night, and soon found, to our pleasurable -surprise, our friends Lieut. Bonnycastle and Lieut. Morehead, of the -army, in a camp not more than an arrow’s flight distant. They were on -their way to the mines, and if excellent qualities of head and heart can -secure success, must return with fortunes. Night deepened apace, and our -simple repast finished, we wrapped ourselves in our blankets, and were -soon in sound sleep. - -FRIDAY, NOV. 17. The day glimmered over the hill-tops: a cup of coffee, -a cake of hard bread, and a scrap of dried venison, and we were under -way again. Our trail lay for fifteen miles over the prairie of the San -Joaquin. Though now in November, yet the heat was oppressive. We -encountered groups of disbanded volunteers, on their way to the mines. -The soldiers’ improvidence had left but very few the means of procuring -horses, and they were generally on foot, and crippled with blisters. -Going _to_ the mines is one thing; returning _from_ them is another. A -dream of victory animates the soldier, and visions of gold stimulate the -digger. It is only the result under which the heart droops and the -muscles give way. - -It was mid-day when we struck the hills which roll their low forests to -the verge of the prairie. In a glen, where sparkled a spring and the -pine threw its shadows, we encountered an elderly man and his little -boy. The parent was silent, downcast, and abstracted, and his boy was -evidently trying to cheer him. The father, in reply to our inquiries, -informed us that they had been in the mines, where, by great industry -and good fortune, they had got out twenty pounds of gold; that on their -return they had camped for the night near Stockton; that leaving their -camping-tree for a few hours to renew their stock of provisions, they -had buried their bag of gold under the tree; but on their return their -gold could not be found! that the most diligent search had led to no -results; that he had been robbed! that the loss was less for him, but -that he had eight motherless children, dependent on him for a support. -Who could listen to such a tale as this and not feel his blood tingle at -the callous wretch who could thus ruin another? Even the forgiving Uncle -Toby would deliver him over to the avenging angel, to be driven down -under double-bolted thunder: nothing could rescue him, unless the -Universalists catch him in their creed, which saves a man in spite of -the Evil One, and in spite of himself, too. - -We invited the father and son to join our company; and when on the way, -the little boy, who was mounted on a pony at my side, told me a -subscription had been started at Stockton for his father, and that Mr. -Weber and Dr. Isabell had subscribed a pound of gold each. Blessings on -those liberal men! such a charity will throw a circle of light around -misfortune, should it ever be _their_ lot. The sun was far down his -western dip when we reached the hospitable hearth of our friend Mr. -Livermore; but finding that he had no grain for our horses, and that the -grass around had utterly perished under the summer’s drought, we -determined to push on; and, crossing a plain of eight miles, reached the -mountain rollers, where we struck into a ravine, through which a -streamlet murmured, and where a plot of grass still preserved some -portion of its freshness. Here we tethered and camped. The brief -twilight that remained had passed into night’s bosom before we had -gathered sufficient wood for our camp-fire: and we needed a large pile; -for the air was chill and penetrating. We made our supper on hard bread, -dried venison, and coffee; while clouds, the sure precursors of the -winter rains, drifted above in sluggish masses. Our camp-fire threw its -column of waving flame on the beetling crags; not a sound from cavern or -cliff disturbed the silence; we gazed into the fire, lost in pensive -musing; and a more melancholy group seldom gathers over that face— - - “Where life’s last parting pulse has ceased to play,” - -when an owl perched near, gave a deep hoot! Each broke into an -involuntary laugh. The philosophy of that transition I leave to those -whose metaphysical acumen can split the shadow which falls between -melancholy and mirth. - - -SATURDAY, NOV. 18. Another morn full of rosy charms comes blushing over -the hills; at the glance of her eye the shadows flee away, and the birds -awaken into song. The stir of preparation rustles the leaves under our -camping-tree, and while the dew yet gems the grass, we are up and away. -What salient freshness and force are in the heart which takes its pulses -from the waving wild-wood and the dashing stream! The exhilaration in -its fullest tide never ebbs; it bears you on with sympathies and -enjoyments still expanding, till all nature, with her intense life and -rapture, is yours. - -Our path, which lay through a mountain gorge, bent its line to a winding -rivulet, laughing and singing through the solitude. Little cared _that_ -for marble fount or sculptured dolphin; it was happy in its own free -life, and the kisses of the enamored pebbles, which danced in its limpid -wave. And now the white walls of the old church, where the mission of -San José reared its altars, glimmered into vision. Fast and far the -separating interval was left behind, when we dashed up to its welcome -portal. Here we found an Irish restaurant, and set its culinary -functions in motion— - - “Nothing’s more sure at moments to take hold - Of the best feelings of mankind, which grow - More tender, as we every day behold, - Than that all-softening, overpowering knell, - The tocsin of the soul—the dinner-bell!” - - -SUNDAY, NOV. 19. My companions pushed on last evening to San -José—fifteen miles distant. My old Russian friend, who occupies one of -the mission buildings, invited me to spend the Sabbath with him; an -invitation which I gladly accepted, as it afforded a refuge from the -restaurant, with the roar of its revelry and rum. The United States have -sent out enough of this fire here to burn up a continent. The -conflagration, kindled by the battle-brand or bolt of the electric -cloud, may sweep a forest, or lay a city in ashes; but from the -smouldering ruins new structures will rise, and a new generation of -plants spring; but where the spirit of rum hath spread its flame a -desolation follows, which the skill of man and the reviving dews of -heaven can never reach. It is barren and verdureless as the sulphurous -marl which paves - - “The deep track of hell.” - - -MONDAY, NOV. 20. For a moment this morning I regretted having parted -with my pistols, and thrown myself on the non-resistant principle. I was -alone, and on my way to San José, when two horsemen suddenly broke from -the covert of the woods on my left, and swept down upon the line of my -path. They were well mounted, and had the dare-devil air of the brigand. -It was near this spot, too, that a young friend of mine had been -recently murdered. To attempt flight on my Indian pony from the -lightning hoof of my pursuers, would have given to consternation itself -a hue of the ludicrous. I determined to die decently, if die I must. My -supposed assailants dashed close to my side, and then, without uttering -a word, spurred back to the forest, from which they had debouched. They -were foreigners, disguised as Californians; for a native always salutes -you, and would, were his hand on the trigger of his pistol. They went as -they came, and the secret of their impetuous visit is in their own -keeping. I was quite willing to part with their company, and ascribe -their intrusion to a violent curiosity, or any other motive untouched by -crime, so that they would let me pass in peace to the Pueblo of San -José. - - -TUESDAY, NOV. 21. Arriving at the Pueblo, I found my companions had -hired four horses, accustomed to the harness, attached them to the -wagon, which we had left here, on our way to the mines, and were ready -to start for Monterey. I threw my saddle, bridle, and blanket into the -wagon, and parted with my Indian pony: he had done me good service, and -got me out of a bad fix in the mines; he had pounded me some, it is -true; but that was no fault of his; nature never intended him to tread -on flowers without bending their stems. May his new owner treat him -kindly; and when age has withered his strength, not turn him out on a -public common to die! Had we as little mercy shown us as we extend to -the noblest animal committed to our care, we should never get to heaven. - -The sun was far down his western slope when we reached the rancho of Mr. -Murphy, and camped for the night under the evergreen oaks, which throw -the soft shade of their undying verdure over a streamlet that murmurs -near his door. The old gentleman invited us in to share his restricted -apartments, but we had so long slept under trees, that we preferred the -free air, the maternal earth, and the stars to light us to our slumber. -Truly I never slept so soundly on the garnished couch, and never found -in sleep such a renovating refreshment. I can now comprehend why it is -the hunter clings to his wild life, and prefers the precarious -subsistence of his rifle to teeming stalls. He lives out of himself; his -sympathies are with nature; his sensations roll through boundless space. -It is for _his_ eye the violet blooms, and the early cloud catches the -blush of morn; it is for _his_ ear the bird sings from its green covert, -and the torrent shouts from its cliff; it is to cheer _his_ footsteps -that the twilight lingers, and the star blazes in the coronet of night: -all the changes of the varied year are for _him_; and around his -wild-wood home the seasons lead the hours in perpetual dance; and when -his being shall resign its trust, the dirge of the deep wood will sing -his requiem, and the wings of the wind, filled with the fragrance of -flowers, bear his spirit to its bright abode. - - -WEDNESDAY, NOV. 22. We broke camp at sunrise, took our coffee, harnessed -up, and began to lumber ahead. Our driver, who owned the dull steeds -which he reined, was a native of New England, and betrayed his origin in -the perpetual hum of a low plaintive tune, which spun on for hours in -the same unconscious monotony. Even the crack of his whip, which came in -frequently, had only the effect to give some note a slight emphasis, -while the low dirge still murmured on, true to its unbroken flow as the -tick of the death-watch to its admonitory errand. Thus the hours of the -day, their tender requiem being sung, stole silently into the past. - -But now occurred a wayfaring incident which could not thus be charmed to -rest. Our team, about half-way up the long hill of San Juan, balked, and -the wagon began to roll back to its base. We jumped out and clogged the -wheels, for we had no idea of returning again to the mines. Having -breathed a moment, we made another attempt, but without success; we now -put our shoulders to the wheels, while the lash fell fast on the flanks -of our horses. But no pushing, coaxing, or whipping availed; our journey -for the day was done, and abruptly too as that of a migratory goose -struck by a rifle ball. The shadows of the mountain pines were -lengthening fast, and we retired into a glen at a short distance, and -camped. It was my duty to procure water for coffee; the spring where the -horses drank was too full of impurities; I followed up the unseen vein -marked by the green willows, till its flowing wave murmured on the ear -from the depths of a shadowy chasm. But the method of reaching it -puzzled me as much as the faithful proxy of the Patriarch would have -been, but for the pitcher and line of the gentle Rachel. How free of -affectation and false alarm that daughter of Israel, as her snow-white -arms drew the limpid tide to quench the stranger’s thirst! How free of a -distrustful spirit, or disdaining pride, when told that one whom her -father loved, sued for her bridal hand! The wave which swelled in her -milk-white bosom may have trembled a moment, like the leaf stirred in -the rosy twilight, and the dream of her pillowed slumber may have -flushed through the snow-curl of her cheek, but with the early lark, she -was up and away—happy in her own youth and innocence, and in the thought -that these were inwoven with the happiness of another. How hollow the -pretexts of protracted delay, when touched by the light which glimmers -down through ages from the example of this primitive maiden! But where -am I?—in the infant world instead of these chasmed rocks, which frown -through the wrinkles of its decrepitude and age. How thought annihilates -time and space! The flower that first bloomed on the verge of the globe, -as it emerged from chaos, and the cinder that will fade last in the -embers of its final conflagration, lie side by side in the domain of -thought; and the star that hailed its birth, and the planet that will -guard its tomb, are twin-born in the eternity of time. But I am off -again in a philosophic revery, and must come back to my coffee-pot and -chasm! With the aid of a long riata, my bucket was lowered sufficiently -to dip the unseen stream; but drawing it up I discovered in its wave, as -the surface became tranquil, what might well startle any one whose -nerves were not of steel. It was a human face of bronze hue, half -covered with tangled locks, and a beard of hermit growth, and so like -that bent above, there was a relief in the ripple that destroyed the -resemblance. But my camping companions will never, at this rate, get -their coffee. - - -THURSDAY, NOV. 23. We escaped this morning another balk of our animals -by a circling road which in the dusk of the last eve we had missed. It -was mid-day when we rumbled from the hills of San Juan upon the plain of -the Salinas, and near sunset when we reached the river, which rolls its -yellow wave fifteen miles from Monterey. We might have pushed through, -but why be impatient over a night’s delay? I had no one there watching a -husband’s return, or waiting a father’s kiss. These objects of -endearment were in other lands, and oceans rolled between. More than -three long years had worn away since I waved my adieu, and weary moons -must set before my return. I may find the eyes that beamed so kindly, -closed forever; the bud of infant being, on which their last light fell, -withered. - -We were roused in the night by screams from the river; an ox-cart, with -three women in it, had tumbled down the opposite bank. The cattle seemed -as much frightened as their passengers, and fared better, as they had -struck a shallower bottom. We plunged in and reached the cart. Our first -impulse was to take the women out and _tote_ them ashore, but their -great size and weight forbade. We wished to carry the thing through as -gallantly as it had been begun; but after casting about—the cold stream -all the while lowering the thermometer of our enthusiasm—we concluded to -drive the team out, and scramble out ourselves. - - -FRIDAY, NOV. 24. We broke camp at an early hour, and were off for -Monterey. I left my camping-tree as one parts with a tried friend. It -was the last of a vernal band, that had thrown over me, at burning noon -and through the chilly night, their protecting shade. While our driver -hummed his low monotonous stave to his steeds, my neglected reed -murmured in the counter— - -TO MY CAMPING-TREE. - - Farewell to thee, my camping-tree, - The last to shade this breast, - Where twilight weaves, with tender leaves, - Her couch of rosy rest. - - Thy trembling leaf seemed shook with grief, - As on it gleamed the dew; - As woke the bird, by night-winds stirred, - The stars came dancing through. - - In lucid dreams I caught the gleams— - Through chasmed rocks unrolled— - Of gems, where blaze the diamond’s rays - And massive bars of gold. - - I saw a ship her anchor trip, - All stowed with gold below, - Depart this bay for Joppa’s quay, - Three thousand years ago! - - A star-lit dome, of amber foam, - Loomed in the liquid blue, - Where reigned of old, on thrones of gold, - The Incas of Peru. - - The midnight moans, and phrensied groans, - Of miners near their last, - In tones that cursed the gold they nursed - Came trembling on the blast. - - While one apart, with gentler heart, - His still tears dashed aside, - That he might trace a pictured face, - At which he gazed, and died. - - On steep and vale, in calm and gale, - Like music on the sea— - Sweet slumber stole, within my soul, - Beneath the camping-tree. - - A low-voiced tone, the wind hath thrown - Upon my dreaming ear, - Of ONE, whose smiles, and gentle wiles, - Are still remembered here:— - - Of one, whose tears—where each endears - The more the heart that wept— - From swimming lid in silence slid, - And on her bosom slept. - - A blue-eyed child, with glee half wild, - In infant beauty’s beams, - And lock that rolled, in waving gold, - Came glancing through my dreams. - - Farewell to thee, my camping-tree; - Till life’s last visions gleam, - Thy leaves and limbs, and vesper hymns, - Shall float in memory’s dream. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - CAUSE OF SICKNESS IN THE MINES.—THE QUICKSILVER MINES.—HEAT AND COLD - IN THE MINES.—TRAITS IN THE SPANISH CHARACTER.—HEALTH OF CALIFORNIA - LADIES.—A WORD TO MOTHERS.—THE PINGRASS AND BLACKBIRD.—THE - REDWOOD-TREE.—BATTLE OF THE EGGS. - -SATURDAY, DEC. 2. I found Monterey, on my return from the mines, under -the same quiet air in which her green hills had soared since I first -beheld their waving shade. Many had predicted my precipitate return, -from the hardships and baffled attempt of the tour; but I persevered, -taking it rough and tumble from the first, and have returned with -improved health. I met with but very few cases of sickness in the mines, -and these obviously resulting from excessive imprudence. What but -maladies could be expected, where the miner stands by the hour in a cold -mountain stream, with a broiling sun overhead, and then, perhaps, -drinking every day a pint of New England rum? Why, the rum itself would -shatter any constitution not lightning-proof. I wish those who send this -fire-curse here were wrapped in its flames till the wave of repentance -should baptize them into a better life. - -I have missed but two things, since my return, from my goods and -chattels—my walking-cane and my Bible; both have been carried off during -my absence I hope the latter will do the person who has taken it much -good: I forgive the burglary for the sake of the benefit. Prometheus was -chained to the Caucasian rock for having filched fire from heaven; but -no such fearful retribution awaits him who has stolen my Bible, flooded -though it be with a higher light than ever dawned on the eyes of the -guilty Titan. May its spirit reach the offender’s soul, and quicken -thoughts that shall wander without rest till they light on the Cross, -where hang the hopes of the world. - - -TUESDAY, DEC. 12. The quicksilver mines of California constitute one of -the most important elements in her mineral wealth. Only one vein has as -yet been fully developed; this lies a few miles from San José, and is -owned by Hon. Alexander Forbes, British consul at Typé, in Mexico—a -gentleman of vast means and enterprise—and who has a heart as full of -generous impulses as his mine is of wealth. Many of our countrymen, in -misfortune, have shared his munificent liberality. His mine, in the -absence of suitable machinery, has been worked to great disadvantage; -and yet, with two whaling-kettles for furnaces, he has driven off a -hundred and fifty pounds a day of the pure metal. If this can be done -with an apparatus intended only for trying blubber, a ton may be rolled -from a capacious retort constructed for the purpose. The title of Mr. -Forbes to this mine has excited some inquiry, but it will be found among -the soundest in California. - -Instead of attempting to shake this title, a more wise and profitable -course will be to open a fresh vein. They lie in the contiguous spurs of -the same mountain range, and only require a small outlay of labor and -capital to develop their untold wealth. The metal need not travel from -California to find a market; vast quantities will be required in the -gold mines: the cradle and bowl must give place to more complicated -machinery; the sands of the river pass through a more delicate process; -and the quartz of the steep rock, crumbled under the stamper, surrender -its gold to the embrace of quicksilver. This stupendous issue is close -at hand; and they who anticipate it, will find the fruits of their -sagacity and enterprise in sudden fortunes. - - -MONDAY, DEC. 25. The multitudes who are in the mines, suffer in health -and constitution from the extreme changes of temperature which follow -day and night. In some of the ravines in which we camped, these -variations vibrated through thirty and forty degrees. In mid-day we were -driven into the shade to keep cool, and in the night into two or three -blankets to keep warm. The heat is ascribable in part to the nature of -the soil, its naked sandy features, its power of radiation, and the -absence of circulation in the glens. But the cold comes with the visits -of the night-wind from the frosty slopes of the Sierra Nevada. - -These extreme variations follow the miner through the whole region in -which his tempting scenes of labor lie, and require a degree of prudence -seldom met with in that wild woodland life. The consequence is, a group -of maladies under which the strongest constitution at length breaks -down. But I am convinced from personal experience, that with proper -precaution and suitable food, many, and most of these evils may be -obviated. The southern mines are in elevations which exempt them from -the maladies incident to the low lands which fringe the streams farther -north. There are no stagnant waters, no decomposition of vegetable -matter, no miasma drifting about in the fog, to shake and burn you with -alternate chill and fever. I never enjoyed better health and spirits; -and never encountered in a great moving mass, notwithstanding their -irregularities, so few instances of disease traceable to local causes. I -have seen more groaners and grunters in one metropolitan household, than -in any swarming ravine in the southern mines. - - -SUNDAY, JAN. 7. Lapses from virtue are not unfrequently associated, in -the character of the Spanish female, with singular exhibitions of -charity and self-denial. She is often at the couch of disease, -unshrinkingly exposed to contagion, or in the hovel of destitution, -administering to human necessity. She pities where others reproach, and -succors where others forsake. The motive which prompts this unwearied -charity, is a secret within her own soul. It may be as a poor expiation -for conscious error, or the impulse of those kindly sentiments not yet -extinct, or gratitude for that humanity which foregoes merited -reprehension. Be the cause what it may, it justly retains her within the -pale of Christian charity, and entitles her to that sympathy in her own -misfortunes which she so largely bestows on the sorrows of others. - -Denunciation never yet protected the innocent, confirmed the wavering, -or recovered the fallen. That spirit of ferocity which breaks the -bruised reed, partakes more of relentless pride than virtuous -disapprobation. Many sever themselves from all sympathy with the erring, -from the mistaken apprehension that the wider the chasm, the more -advantageous the light in which _they_ will appear. But that chasm which -seems so wide to them, narrows to a faint line in the eye of -Omniscience. Forgiveness is our duty; not that forgiveness which scorns -and forsakes the object on which it is bestowed, but which seeks to -reclaim the erring, and reinstate the fallen in merited confidence and -esteem. When repentant guilt trembled and blushed in the presence of Him -whose divine example is our guide, no frown darkened His brow, no -malediction fell from His lips; His absolving injunction was—_go, and -sin no more_. The brightest stars are they which have emerged from a -horizon of darkness. - - -TUESDAY, JAN. 16. The climate on the seaboard is remarkably equable; it -varies at Monterey, the year round, but little from sixty. You never lay -aside your woollen apparel, and always feel ready for a bear-hunt, or -any other field-sport that may tempt your taste or skill. Till the -Americans came here there was hardly a house in the town which contained -a fireplace; even the cooking was done in a detached apartment, -seemingly to avoid the straggling rays of its grate. The children ran -about in the winter months without a shoe, and in their little cotton -slips, the perfect pictures of health. The girl of seventeen, the mother -of forty, and the venerable lady, who had reached her threescore and -ten, were never seen hovering around a fire: they were at their -household affairs, in apartments where a coal had never been kindled; or -in their gardens, where the last rain had revived their drooping plants; -or out in the woods at pic-nics, where the very birds sung out in -rivalry of their jocund mirth. Health spread its rose in the cheek, and -elastic life thrilled in the bounding limb. The birth of a child was -only a momentary pause in this scene of pleasurable activity, and more -than compensated for its brief encroachment in a new bud of being, to be -clustered among the rest—now blooming in fragrant life around the parent -tree. - -Think of this, ye mothers who cloister your daughters in air-tight -parlors, with furnaces blowing in hot steam from below. It is no wonder -they wither from their cradles, and that their bridal couch is often -ashes. Your mistaken tenderness, vanity, and pride have supplied death -with trophies long enough. Look here to California; among all these -mothers and daughters, there is not one where the cankerworm of that -disease is at work which has spread sorrow and dismay around your -hearths. The insidious disguises and sapping advances of the consumption -are not known here; I have not yet met with the first instance where -this disease, contracted here, has found a victim. It is your in-door -habits, hot parlors, prunellas, and twisting corsets, that clothe this -generation with weeds, and bequeath to the next constitutions that fall -like grass under the scythe of death. If your daughters won’t take -out-door exercise from persuasion, then drive them forth as the guardian -angel of Eden your erring progenitrix. It may have been that the -development of her physical forces, as well as retributive justice, -induced her expulsion from the luxurious roses, the balmy airs, and -lulling streams of her first abode. But your Eves will come back again, -and sparkling eyes, and buoyant spirits, and a vigorous pulse will -commend your maternal wisdom; and when a man, worthy of your confidence -and the affections of your daughters, wants a wife, his choice will not -lie in a group of valetudinarians. He carries off a bird that floats a -strong wing, and that can sing in concert with him as they build the -nest out of which other harmonies are to charm the warbling grove; and -then, too, the young fledglings will come back to you, all bright and -beautiful, and touched with the spirit of gladness in which their breezy -cradle swung. Why, is not this enough to make a mother’s soul leap to -her laughing eyes! - - -WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24. Nature never leaves any portion of her troubled -domain without a compensation. Here, where the hills and plains, under -the long summer’s drought, become so parched and dry that the -grasshoppers cease to sing, she presents a pingrass, on which the cattle -still thrive; and when this fails, it has already dropped a seed even -more nutritious than the stem which sustained its bulbous cradle. For -this, a California horse will leave the best bin of oats that ever waved -in the harvest-moon. The first copious shower, which usually occurs in -November, destroys it, but around its ruins another grass springs, to -throw its green velvet, inwrought with millions of flowers, on the -charmed eye. It is no wonder the birds here sing through the year, and -forego those migrations to which they are subjected in other climes. The -lay of the robin, the whistle of the quail, and the tender notes of the -curlew, are always piping in the grove, or filling with melody the -garden-tree. - -Were the blackbird to migrate, and never come back, no farmer would -regret his absence; for he is a mischievous bird, who has no respect for -the rights of property. He squats by millions where he likes and would -rob a wheat-field of its last kernel with a thousand thunders rattling -overhead. His legions darken the heaven where they fly, and drown all -other harmonies in the jargon of their obstreperous chatter. They are -said to be good for a pot-pie; and there are enough of them here to -plump a pie around which nations might sit and carve at will: and how -much better to be carving a common pie than carving into each other’s -lands,—to be popping at blackbirds than shooting each other. There is -not a blackbird but what laughs under his glossy wing when he sees a man -levelling his gun at another, which the sable rogue knows ought to be -levelled at him; and when the smoke-clouds loom up from the field of -battle, he chatters in very glee, and even the eyes of the sedate raven -are filled with unwonted light. Man makes himself a mournful tragedy and -ludicrous comedy in the great creation of God. - - -WEDNESDAY, FEB. 7. There is one tree in California that is worthy of -note, which is peculiar to the country, and as deserving a place on her -coat-of-arms as her grizzly bear, and much more so, unless her people -intend to overawe their neighbors with the terrors of their insignia. -This tree is called the redwood, and closely resembles, in its texture, -size, and antiseptic qualities, the giant cedars which have pinnacled, -through the storms of a thousand years, the steeps of Lebanon. It is -found on the table-lands between the coast range and the sea, and grows -in distinct forests, like the savage tribes which once slumbered in its -shadows. Its shaft rises straight and free of limbs, till high over the -wave of other trees it can spread its emerald sails to the wind, compact -as the royals of a ship of the line. The wood is of a pale red hue, and -easily yields to any shape under the implements of the carpenter, but is -not sufficiently firm for the severer tests of cabinet work. It resists -decay, whatever may be its exposure, and in the ground or on the roof is -true to its trust. The same shingle which shook the rain from your -grandsire, wards it from you; and the same board which pannelled his -coffin, echoes to the rumbling sounds of yours as you go down to join -him. In a grove of these trees, only a short ride from Monterey, stands -one measuring sixty feet in circumference! Of its height I am not -certain, as I had no means of measuring it—say three hundred feet—or at -least as high as the steeple of that church, a warden of which, who had -caught the spirit of its elevation, is reported to have said in reply to -a proposition for the introduction of lamps and an evening service, -“this line goes through by daylight.” Let those versed in moral -mensuration determine the elevation of that warden’s spiritual pride, -and they will have the height of my tree exactly. - - -FRIDAY, FEB. 16. Mr. Larkin has closed the amusements of the carnival -with a splendid entertainment, graced with all the beauty and bravery of -Monterey. As no egg could be broken after midnight, without trenching on -the solemnities of Lent, each went equipped with these weapons, ready -for an early contest. Several small volleys opened the engagement -between some of the parties; while the fandango engrossed the attention -of others. In this oval war the ladies are always the antagonists of the -gentlemen, and, generally, through their dexterity, and larger supply of -ammunition, bear off the palm. They will sometimes carry two or three -dozen rounds each, and as snugly stowed away as cartridges in the box of -a new recruit. Still both parties will fight it out— - - “With blow for blow, disputing inch by inch, - Where one will not retreat, nor t’other flinch.” - -But there were two shot in the company, in the shape of goose eggs, well -filled with cologne, to which an unusual interest attached. One of them -had been brought by Gen. M——, the other by Donna J——, and each was only -watching an opportunity for a crash on the head of the other. Both were -endowed with physical force, dexterity, and firmness, and a heart in -which pity relaxed none of these energies. Neither turned an eye but for -a moment from the other; but in that moment the donna dashed to the side -of the general, and would have crashed her egg on his head, had not the -blow been instantly parried. The assailed now became the assailant, and -both were in for the last tests of skill— - - “While none who saw them could divine - To which side conquest would incline.” - -The donna changed her tactics, stood on the defensive and parried, and -in one of these dexterous foils dashed her egg on the head of her -antagonist, who, in the same instant, brought his down plump on hers. -Both were drenched in cologne; both victors in defeat: a shout followed, -which shook the rafters of the old tenement. The engagement now became -general; each had his antagonist, and must “do or die;” the battle -swayed this way and that—sometimes in single combat, and at others in -vollied platoons; and then along the whole blazing line: each recoil was -recovered by a more vigorous assault; each retreat in rallied thunder, -more than redeemed; while first and foremost, where wavered or withstood -the foe— - - “The _donna_ cheered her band.” - -But, in this most critical crisis of the field, the fire began to -slacken along the line of the men; their ammunition was giving out; only -a few rounds here and there remained; the heroines perceived this, and -opened with double round and grape on their foes— - - “Who form—unite—charge—waver—all is lost!” - -The bell tolled the hour of midnight, and Lent came in with her ashes to -bury the dead! They may trifle who will with this field; but there was -more in it worthy of a good man’s remembrance than half the fields -fought from Homer’s day to this. If this be treason to the bullet and -blood chivalry—make the most of it. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.—SCENERY AROUND MONTEREY.—VINEYARDS OF LOS - ANGELES.—BEAUTY OF SAN DIEGO.—THE CULPRIT HALL.—THE RUSH FOR - GOLD.—LAND TITLES.—THE INDIAN DOCTRESS.—TUFTED PARTRIDGE.—DEATH OF - COM. BIDDLE. - -SATURDAY, FEB. 24. All the land grants in California are blindly -defined; a mountain bluff, lagoon, river, or ravine serve as boundaries; -and these not unfrequently comprehend double the leagues or acres -contemplated in the instrument. No accurate surveys have been made; and -the only legal restrictions falling within these vague limits, is in the -shape of a provision that the excess shall revert to the public domain. -This provision, which is inserted in most of the grants, will throw into -the market, under an accurate survey, some of the best tracts in -California. These will be seized upon by capitalists and speculators, -and held at prices beyond the means of emigrants, unless some -legislative provision shall extend peculiar privileges to actual -settlers. - -The lands which lie through the gold region are uninvaded by any private -grants, except one on the Mariposa, owned by Col. Fremont; one on the -Cosumes, owned by W. E. P. Hartnell, and the limited claims of Johnson -on Bear river, and Capt. Sutter on the Americano. All the other lands -stretching from Feather river on the north, to the river Reys on the -south, covering five hundred miles along the slopes of the Sierra -Nevada, belonging to the public domain, and should never become private -property so long as it is for the interests of the United States to -encourage mining in California. Any system of private proprietorship -will result in monopoly and bloodshed. Let companies lease their -sections, and private individuals pay their license; and let every -regulation look more to the encouragement it extends, than the revenue -it exacts. - - -TUESDAY, FEB. 27. At an early hour this morning a huge floating mass, -with her steep sides dark as night, was seen winding into the bay -without sail, wind, or tide. Such a wizard phenomenon was never seen -before on this coast, and might well alarm the natives, especially when -the great guns of the fort rolled their thunder at her: and still she -neared! heaving the still waters into cataracts at her side, and sending -up her steep column of smoke, as if a young Etna were at work within. -They who had witnessed such things in other parts of the world, shouted -“The steamer! the steamer!” and instantly the echo came back with -redoubled force from a hundred crowded balconies. The whole community -was thrown into excitement, wonder, and gratulation; cheers and shouts -of welcome rent the air; all liquors were free to brim the bumpers; and -basket after basket of champagne went gratuitously into the streets, -till their flying corks rose like musket-shot in a general feu de joie. -The last distrust of good faith in the government vanished; and all saw -the dawn of a higher destiny breaking over California. The enterprise of -a Howland and Aspinwall blazed in this new aurora, and filled the whole -horizon with light. The golden promise which had floated in doubt and -earnest hope had been redeemed and the union of California with the -glorious confederacy achieved. What now were oceans and an isthmus!—only -a few waves and a narrow line of earth, unfelt under the conquering -powers of steam. Such was the tumult of transport which hailed the first -steamer; such her welcome to the _el dorado_ of the West. No gold mine -sprung in the Sierra ever roused half the wonder, hope, and general joy. - - -MONDAY, MARCH 5. The scenery around Monterey and the _locale_ of the -town, arrest the first glance of the stranger. The wild waving -background of forest-feathered cliffs, the green slopes, and the -glimmering walls of the white dwellings, and the dash of the billows on -the sparkling sands of the bay, fix and charm the eye. Nor does the -enchantment fade by being familiarly approached; avenues of almost -endless variety lead off through the circling steeps, and winding -through long shadowy ravines, lose themselves in the vine-clad recesses -of the distant hills. It is no wonder that California centred her taste, -pride, and wealth here, till the Vandal irruption of gold-hunters broke -into her peaceful domain. Now all eyes are turned to San Francisco, with -her mud bottoms, her sand-hills, and her chill winds, which cut the -stranger like hail driven through the summer solstice. Avarice may erect -its shanty there, but contentment, and a love of the wild and beautiful, -will construct its tabernacle among the flowers, the waving shades, and -fragrant airs of Monterey. And even they who now drive the spade and -drill in the mines, when their yellow pile shall fill the measure of -their purposes, will come here to sprinkle these hills with the mansions -and cottages of ease and refinement. Among these soaring crags the step -of youth will still spring, and beauty garland her tresses with -wild-flowers in the mirror of the mountain stream. Alas! that eyes so -bright should be closed so soon, and that a step so light and free -should lead but to that narrow house which holds no communion with the -pulses which will still roll through nature’s great heart! - - -WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7. Emigrants, when the phrensy of the mines has passed, -will be strongly attracted to los Angeles, the capital of the southern -department. It stands inland from San Pedro about eight leagues, in the -bosom of a broad fertile plain, and has a population of two thousand -souls. The San Gabriel pours its sparkling tide through its green -borders. The most delicious fruits of the tropical zone may flourish -here. As yet, only the grape and fig have secured the attention of the -cultivator; but the capacities of the soil and aptitudes of the climate -are attested in the twenty thousand vines, which reel in one orchard, -and which send through California a wine that need not blush in the -presence of any rival from the hills of France or the sunny slopes of -Italy. To these plains the more quiet emigrants will ere long gather, -and convert their drills into pruning-hooks, and we shall have wines, -figs, dates, almonds, olives, and raisins from California. The gold may -give out, but these are secure while nature remains. - -San Diego is another spot to which the tide of immigration must turn. It -stands on the border line of Alta California, and opens on a land-locked -bay of surpassing beauty. The climate is soft and mild the year round; -the sky brilliant, and the atmosphere free of those mists which the cold -currents throw on the northern sections of the coast. The sea-breeze -cools the heat of summer, and the great ocean herself modulates into the -same temperature the rough airs of winter. The seasons roll round, -varied only by the fresh fruits and flowers that follow in their train. -I would rather have a willow-wove hut at San Diego, with ground enough -for a garden, than the whole peninsula of San Francisco, if I must live -there. The one is a Vallambrosa, where only the zephyr stirs her light -wing; the other a tempest-swept cave of Æolus, where the demons of storm -shake their shivering victims. The lust of gold will people the one, but -all that is lovely in the human heart spread its charm over the other. -Before the eyes that fall on these pages are under death’s shadow, San -Diego will have become the queen of the south in California encircled -with vineyards and fields of golden grain and gathering into her bosom -the flowing commerce of the Colorado and Gila. - - -THURSDAY, MARCH 8. The town-hall, on which I have been at work for more -than a year, is at last finished. It is built of a white stone, quarried -from a neighboring hill, and which easily takes the shape you desire. -The lower apartments are for schools; the hall over them—seventy feet by -thirty—is for public assemblies. The front is ornamented with a portico, -which you enter from the hall. It is not an edifice that would attract -any attention among public buildings in the United States; but in -California it is without a rival. It has been erected out of the slender -proceeds of town lots, the labor of the convicts, taxes on liquor shops, -and fines on gamblers. The scheme was regarded with incredulity by many; -but the building is finished, and the citizens have assembled in it, and -christened it after my name, which will now go down to posterity with -the odor of gamblers, convicts, and tipplers. I leave it as an humble -evidence of what may be accomplished by rigidly adhering to one purpose, -and shrinking from no personal efforts necessary to its achievement. A -prison has also been built, and mainly through the labor of the -convicts. Many a joke the rogues have cracked while constructing their -own cage; but they have worked so diligently I shall feel constrained to -pardon out the less incorrigible. It is difficult here to discriminate -between offences which flow from moral hardihood, and those which -result, in a measure, from untoward circumstances. There is a wide -difference in the turpitude of the two; and an alcalde under the Mexican -law, has a large scope in which to exercise his sense of moral justice. -Better to err a furlong with mercy than a fathom with cruelty. Unmerited -punishment never yet reformed its subject; to suppose it, is a libel on -the human soul. - - -FRIDAY, MARCH 9. There is one event in the recent history of California, -which has carried with it decisive moral results. Till the intelligence -of peace reached here, a bewildering expectation had been entertained by -many, that Mexico would never consent to part with this portion of her -domain. This idea, vague and groundless as it was, interfered with all -permanent plans of action affecting individual capital and enterprise. -To this state of uncertainty the news of peace, which reached here in -August, gave an effectual quietus. The event was announced to the -community by order of Gen. Mason, through a national salute from the -fort; and hardly had the echoes died away among the hills, when its -certainty sunk deep and firm into the convictions of all. The result was -a revulsion of feeling towards Mexico, which no repentant action on her -part could ever overcome. The native people felt that they had been -_sold_, and expressed in no measured terms their indignation. They had -no objections to the transfer of allegiance; but they scorned the -_barter_, and denounced the treachery, as they termed it, which had put -a _price_ upon their heads. The old Spanish blood was up, and flaming, -like the lake which rolls its tide of fire in the breast of Vesuvius. -From that day to this, I have never heard one native citizen express for -Mexico even that poor sentiment of regard with which pity sometimes -softens an indignant contempt. The only regret was, that the American -arms were withdrawn from that country, and that her national existence -was not extinct. This feeling remains, and will still be felt in the -various relations of society, when the native mass has been swallowed up -in the emigrant tide, as a rivulet in the majesty of the mountain -stream. - - -SUNDAY, MARCH 11. What crowds are rushing out here for gold! what -multitudes are leaving their distant homes for this glittering treasure! -Can gold warrant the hazards of the enterprise? Can it compensate the -toils and suffering which it imposes? Can it repair a shattered -constitution, or bring back the exhilarating pulse and play of youth? -Let the wrecks of those who have perished speak; let the broken hearts -and hopes of thousands utter their admonition: their voices come surging -over these pines, breaking from these cliffs, sighing in the winds, and -knelling from the clouds. Your treasures you must resign at the dark -portal of the grave; there the glittering heap, and the strong arms -which wrenched it from the mine, lie down together; the spirit walketh -alone through that troubled night; but a ray twinkles through its long -aisle of darkness: follow that in meekness and faith, and it will lead -you to the spirit-land. There dwell your kindred who adorned virtue with -a spirit of contentment,—there the parent whose latest prayer was for -you,—there the sister, who, in the hush of voices around, heard the -sweet strains of an unseen harp, and was charmed away from the delusive -dreams of earth, ere a hope of the heart had been broken, or sorrow had -saddened a smile. What is wealth to such an inheritance? what the -society of kings to such companionship? Plume your wing for heaven ere -it droops in the death-dew of its dissolving strength. - - -TUESDAY, MARCH 20. The land titles in California ought to receive the -most indulgent construction. But few of them have _all_ the forms -prescribed by legislative enactments, but they have official insignia -sufficient to certify the intentions of the government. To disturb these -grants would be alike impolitic and unjust; it would be to convert the -lands which they cover to the public domain, and ultimately turn them -over to speculators and foreign capitalists. Better let them remain as -they are: they are now in good hands; they are held mostly by -Californians,—a class of persons who part with them on reasonable terms. -No Californian grinds the face of the poor, or refuses an emigrant a -participation in his lands. I have seen them dispose of miles for a -consideration less than would be required by Americans for as many -acres. You are shut up to the shrewdness and sharpness of the Yankee on -the one hand, and the liberality of the Californian on the other. Your -choice lies between the two, and I have no hesitation in saying, give me -the Californian. If he has a farm, and I have none, he will divide with -me; but who ever heard of a Yankee splitting up his farm to accommodate -emigrants? Why, he will not divide with his own sons till death has -divided him from both. Yankees are good when mountains are to be -levelled, lakes drained, and lightning converted into a vegetable -manure; but as a landholder, deliver me from his map and maw. He wants -not only all on this side of creation’s verge, but a _leetle_ that laps -over the other. - - -WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28. A young friend of mine had been several months in -Monterey, confined to his room, and nearly helpless, from an ugly sore -on one of his limbs. The skill of the whole medical profession here, in -the army and navy, and out of them, had been exerted in this case, and -baffled. At last, the discouraged patient sent for an old Indian woman, -who has some reputation among the natives for medical sagacity in roots -and herbs. She examined the sore, and the next day brought to the -patient a poultice and pot of tea. The application was made and the -beverage drank as directed. These were renewed two or three times, and -the young man is now running about the streets, or hunting his game, -sound as a nut. - -This same Indian woman is the only physician I had when attacked with -the disease which carried off Lieut. Miner and several others attached -to the public service. In a half-delirious state, which followed close -upon the attack, I looked up and saw bending over me the kind Mrs. -Hartnell—one of the noblest among the native ladies of California—and at -her side stood this Indian woman feeling my pulse. Mrs. H. remained, -while her medical attendant went away, but returned soon with the Indian -medicaments which were to arrest, or remedy this rapid and critical -disease. I resigned myself to all her drinks and baths; she did with me -just what she pleased. She broke the fever without breaking me; restored -my strength, and in a week I was in my office, attending to my duties. -What she gave me I know not, but I believe her roots and herbs saved my -life, as well as the leg of my friend. - - -SATURDAY, APRIL 7. The quail, or tufted partridge, abounds in -California, and is a delicious bird. A walk of ten minutes in any -direction from Monterey, will bring you into their favorite haunts. But -they are extremely shy; it is no easy matter to strike them on the wing: -they are out of one bush and into another before you can level your -piece, unless, like the Irishman hitting his weasel, you fire first and -take aim afterwards. I must attribute my success frequently to hits of -this kind; for a deliberate aim was sure to come too late,—just like an -old bachelor’s proposal of marriage, which, as his vanity whispers him, -might have been accepted had it been made a _little_ sooner, but now the -dulcinia has changed her mind, and the fat is all in the fire. What a -pity that such a pelican should be left alone in this world’s -wilderness, and the community be deprived of all the little pelicans -that might have been! But I was speaking of quail, and not of pelicans, -and of the difficulty of hitting them. Gen. Mason is the best shot here; -a quail, to fly his fire, must be as quick on the wing as a message, in -its sightless career, over one of Morse’s magnetic wires. To me one of -the most enticing features in California life is presented in her game. -It comes in every variety of form, from the elk and buck that rove her -forests and prairies, to the rabbit that undermines the garden-hedge; -and from the wild goose and duck, which sweep in clouds her ruffled -waters, to the little beca that feeds on her figs. A good sportsman -might live the year round, amid these meadows and mounds, on the -trophies of his fowling-piece and rifle, and as independent of civilized -life as any savage that ever bent the bow or steadied his bark canoe -over the rushing verge of the cascade. - - -TUESDAY, APRIL 17. That spirit of prophecy which sometimes trembles in -an adieu, occurred forcibly to me on receiving the intelligence of the -death of Com. Biddle. His last words were omens, if such a thing may be. -He had ordered the Columbus to be ready for sea the next morning, and -had come ashore for a walk in the woods which skirt Monterey. We had -ascended the summit of a hill which commands a wide range of waving -woods, gleaming meadows, and ocean’s blue expanse. The great orb of day -was on the horizon, and the eye of the commodore was fastened upon it as -it sunk in solemn majesty from sight. He had not spoken for several -minutes; when, turning to me, he said—“This is my last walk among these -hills, and something whispers me that all my walks end here.” This was -said with that look and manner in which the undertone of a man’s -thoughts will sometimes find words without his will. It was utterly at -variance with the cool, philosophical habits which were eminently -characteristic of the commodore, and which he seldom relinquished, -except in some sally of humor and wit. This remark woke like a slumber -of the shroud, on the sudden intelligence of his death. It may be a -superstition, but I shall never resign, to a skeptical philosophy, the -omen and its seeming fulfilment. The future is often prefigured in an -incident or sentiment of the present. - - “An undefined and sudden thrill, - That makes the heart a moment still— - Then beat with quicker pulse, ashamed - Of that strange sense itself had framed.” - -The hill-top and the waving forest remain, but the commodore—where is -he? Gone, like a star from its darkened watch-tower on high! But the -night which quenched the beam is still fringed with light. To this -surviving ray we turn in bereavement and grief. His genius lighted the -objects of thought on which it touched, and glanced, with an intuitive -force, through the subtle problems of the mind. His mental horizon was -broad, and yet every object within its wide circle was distinctly seen, -and seen in its true position and relative importance. The trifling -never rose into the great, and the majestic never became tame. Each -stood, in his clear vision, as truth and reason had stamped it. He was -cool and collected without being stoical, and immovably firm without -being arbitrary. He had that courage which could never be shaken by -surprise, made giddy with success, or quelled by disaster. Whatever -subject he assayed, he mastered. He has left but few behind him, out of -the legal profession, more thoroughly versed in questions of -international law and maritime jurisprudence. Had not his early impulses -taken him to the deck, he might have been eminent at the bar, in the -cabinet, or hall of legislation. He had all the clearness and -comprehensiveness of a great statesman. Gratitude twines this leaf of -remembrance and respect into that chaplet which the bereavement of the -service has woven on his grave. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - THE GOLD REGION.—ITS LOCALITY, NATURE, AND EXTENT.—FOREIGNERS IN THE - MINES.—THE INDIANS’ DISCOVERY OF GOLD.—AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES OF - CALIFORNIA.—SERVICES OF UNITED STATES OFFICERS.—FIRST DECISIVE - MOVEMENT FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF A CIVIL GOVERNMENT.—INTELLIGENCE OF - THE DEATH OF GEN. KEARNY. - -THURSDAY, APRIL 26. The gold region, which contains deposits of -sufficient richness to reward the labor of working them, is strongly -defined by nature. It lies along the foot hills of the Sierra Nevada—a -mountain range running nearly parallel with the coast—and extends on -these hills about five hundred miles north and south, by thirty or forty -east and west. From the slopes of the Sierra, a large number of streams -issue, which cut their channels through these hills, and roll with -greater or less volume to the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The -Sacramento rises in the north, and flowing south two hundred and fifty -miles, empties itself into the Suisun, or upper bay of San Francisco. -The San Joaquin rises in the south, and flowing north two hundred miles, -discharges itself into the same bay. The source of the San Joaquin is a -narrow lake lying still further south, and extending in that direction -about eighty miles. - -The streams which break into these rivers from the Sierra Nevada, are -from ten to thirty miles distant from each other. They commence with -Feather river on the north, and end with the river Reys on the south. -They all have numerous tributaries; are rapid and wild on the mountain -slopes, and become more tranquil and tame as they debouch upon the -plain. Still their serpentine waters, flashing up among the trees which -shadow their channels give a picturesque feature to the landscape, and -relieve it of that monotony which would otherwise fatigue the eye. But -very few of these rivers have sufficient depth and regularity to render -them navigable. Their sudden bends, falls, and shallows would puzzle -even an Indian canoe, and strand any boat of sufficient draft to warrant -the agency of steam. - -The alluvial deposits of gold are confined mainly to the banks and bars -of these mountain streams, and the channels of the gorges, which -intersect them, and through which the streams are forced when swollen by -the winter rains. In the hills and table-lands, which occupy the -intervals between these currents and gorges, no alluvial deposits have -been found. Here and there a few detached pieces have been discovered, -forming an exception to some general law by which the uplands have been -deprived of their surface treasures. The conclusion at which I have -arrived, after days and weeks of patient research, and a thousand -inquiries made of others, is, that the alluvial deposits of gold in -California are mainly confined to the banks and bars of her streams, and -the ravines which intersect them. The only material exception to this -general law is found in those intervening deposits, from which the -streams have been diverted by some local cause, or some convulsion of -nature. Aside from these, no surface gold to any extent has been found -on the table-lands or plains. Even the banks of the Sacramento and San -Joaquin, stretching a distance of five hundred miles through their -valleys, have not yielded an ounce. The mountain streams, long before -they discharge themselves into these rivers, deposit their precious -treasures. They contribute their waters, but not their gold. Like -cunning misers they have stowed this away, and no enchantments can make -them whisper of its whereabouts. If you would find it, you must hunt for -it as for hid treasures. - - -MONDAY, MAY 14. Much has been said of the amounts of gold taken from the -mines by Sonoranians, Chilians, and Peruvians, and carried out of the -country. As a general fact, this apprehension and alarm is without any -sound basis. Not one pound of gold in ten, gathered by these foreigners, -is shipped off to their credit: it is spent in the country for -provisions, clothing, and in the hazards of the gaming-table. It falls -into the hands of those who command the avenues of commerce, and -ultimately reaches our own mints. I have been in a camp of five hundred -Sonoranians, who had not gold enough to buy a month’s provisions—all had -gone, through their improvident habits, to the capacious pockets of the -Americans. To drive them out of California, or interdict their -operations, is to abstract that amount of labor from the mines, and -curtail proportionably the proceeds. If gold, slumbering in the river -banks and mountains of California, be more valuable to us than when -stamped into eagles and incorporated into our national currency, then -drive out the Sonoranians: but if you would have it _here_ and not -_there_, let those diggers alone. When gold shall begin to fail, or -require capital and machinery, you will want these hardy men to quarry -the rocks and feed your stampers; and when you shall plunge into the -Cinnebar mountains, you will want them to sink your shafts and kindle -fires under your great quicksilver retorts. They will become the hewers -of wood and drawers of water to American capital and enterprise. But if -you want to perform this drudgery yourself, drive out the Sonoranians, -and upset that cherished system of political economy founded in a spirit -of wisdom and national justice. - - -TUESDAY, MAY 22. I was in possession of a fact which left no doubt of -the existence of gold in the Stanislaus more than a year prior to its -discovery on the American Fork. A wild Indian had straggled into -Monterey with a specimen, which he had hammered into a clasp for his -bow. It fell into the hands of my secretary, W. R. Garner, who -communicated the secret to me. The Indian described the locality in -which it was found with so much accuracy that Mr. G., on his recent -excursion to the mines, readily identified the spot. It is now known as -“Carson’s diggings.” No one who has been there can ever forget its wild -majestic scenery, or confound its soaring cliffs or sunless chasms with -the images projected from other objects. It was the full intention of -Mr. G. to trail this Indian at the first opportunity, and he was -prevented from doing it only by the imperative duties of the office. His -keeping the discovery a secret, proceeded less from any sinister motive -than an eccentricity of character. He had another mineral secret which -has not yet transpired—the existence of a tin mine, near San Louis -Obispo. The extent is not known, but certainly the specimen shown me was -very rich. Mr. Garner is now dead: it was his melancholy fate to fall -with five others by the wild Indians on the river Reys. To that party I -should have been attached had I remained in California another month. -How narrow those escapes which run their mystic thread between two -worlds! On the grave of my friend, gratitude for important services, and -a remembrance of many sterling virtues, might well erect a memorial. - - -THURSDAY, MAY 24. The capabilities of the soil of California for -agricultural purposes involve a question of profound interest, and one -which is not easily answered. There are no experimental facts of -sufficient scope to warrant a general conclusion. Where the soil itself -leaves no doubt of its richness, its productive forces may be baffled by -local circumstances or atmospheric phenomena. Some of the largest crops -that have ever rewarded the toil of the husbandman, have been gathered -in California; and yet those very localities, owing to a slender fall of -the winter rains, have next season disappointed the hopes of the -cultivator. The farmer can never be certain of an abundant harvest till -he is able to supply this deficiency of rain by a process of irrigation. -This can be done, in some places, by the diversion of streams, and must -be accomplished in others through artesian wells. It will be some years -before either will be brought into effective force in the agricultural -districts. - -The lands on which cultivation has been attempted occupy a narrow space -between the coast ranges and the sea; it seldom exceeds in width thirty -miles, and is often reduced to ten by the obtrusion of some mountain -spur. East of this range no plough has ever travelled; no furrow has -ever been turned in the long valley of the San Joaquin; and if the other -sections of this valley correspond to those over which I passed, there -can be very little encouragement for the introduction of husbandry. The -soil is light and gravelly; the grass meagre and sparse; even the wild -horses and elk seek its margin, as if afraid to trust themselves to the -Sahara of its bosom. Still, in some of its bays, the evidences of -fertility exist, but as a district it will never add much to the -agricultural wealth of California. - -The valley of the Sacramento has many localities of great fertility; but -few of them, as yet, have been subjected to the plough and harrow; their -adaptation to agriculture is inferred from their vigorous vegetation. -The same evidences of productive force cover several tracts north of San -Francisco, on the Russian river, and in the vicinity of Sonoma. But the -most fertile lands in California, as yet developed, lie around the -missions of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz, through the long narrow valleys -of San José and San Juan, along the margin of the Salinas, through the -dells of San Louis Obispo, and in the vicinity of los Angeles. These, -and other insular spots, may be made perfect gardens; but take -California as a whole, she is not the country which agriculturists would -select. Her whole mining region is barren; nature rested there with what -she put _beneath_ the soil. You can hardly travel through it in -midsummer without loading your mule down with provender to keep him -alive. The productive forces of such a state as New York, Ohio, or -Pennsylvania, sweep immeasurably beyond the utmost capabilities of -California. It is the _golden_ coronet that gives this land her -pre-eminence, and puts into her hand a magic wand, that will shake for -ages the exchanges of the civilized world. - - -TUESDAY, JUNE 12. At the return of Gen. Kearny, the command of the -military posts of the country, the suppression of popular disturbancies, -the protection of property from the incursion of the Indians, and the -collection of the custom-house revenues have devolved on Gen. Mason. To -these complicated duties he has surrendered his energies with an -unwearied fidelity and force. No one great interest confided to his -indomitable activity has languished. He has derived indispensable aid -from the intelligent services of Col. Stevenson, Maj. Folsom, Capt. -Halleck, and Lieut. Sherman, of the army, and Lieut. Lanman, of the -navy. These officers, and others that might be named, without any -increased compensation, and subjected to heavy expenses, have cheerfully -discharged the onerous duties devolved upon them by the condition of the -country. - -The regiment of volunteers under Col. Stevenson arrived too late for any -active participation in the war. The insurrection had been suppressed, -and the country was in the peaceful occupation of the Americans. Still -they were with great propriety retained in the service, and their -presence at different points tended to discourage any attempts at -revolutionary movements. They were, many of them, youth who had not been -reared under the most auspicious circumstances, and the adventures of a -camp life were but little calculated to supply the defects of education. -They gave the colonel and his officers some trouble, and the communities -where they were stationed some solicitude. But they are now in a -condition, where every one is thrown upon his own resources, where every -thing good in a man may be developed. They have been sowing their wild -oats, and will now go to planting corn. - - -SATURDAY, JUNE 16. The primary movements in California for the -organization of a civil government had no connection with any -instructions from Washington. The first great meeting on the subject was -held in Monterey in January, 1849. At this meeting I was called upon to -draft a preamble and resolutions, setting forth the condition of the -country, the necessity of a civil organization, and providing for the -election of proper delegates to a convention, to be held at San José on -the 27th of February, in which all the districts of the Territory were -to be represented, and where a suitable constitution was to be framed. -These resolutions were sent to all the principal towns, and adopted. But -upon more mature reflection, it was deemed expedient, in order to -prevent any collision with the possible action of Congress, to postpone -the assembling of the convention to the first of May, that the -proceedings of that body might be known. This is the true history of -those primary and decisive measures which have resulted in that noble -constitution which now throws its sacred ægis over California. The -friends of the last and present administration, instead of contending -for the honor of an active participation in the origin and progress of -this instrument, deftly box back and forth the responsibility of its -provisions. But their political timidity is without any just grounds; -for neither afforded any countenance or aid till the rubicon had been -passed: so that all this shuttlecock business between the last and -present administration, is a superfluous exhibition of dexterity and -skill. Much good may it do the players, only let not California suffer -too much while the sport is going on. - - -WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20. The causes which exclude slavery from California lie -within a nut-shell. All here are diggers, and free white diggers wont -dig with slaves. They know they must dig themselves: they have come out -here for that purpose, and they wont degrade their calling by -associating it with slave-labor: self-preservation is the first law of -nature. They have nothing to do with slavery in the abstract, or as it -exists in other communities; not one in ten cares a button for its -abolition, nor the Wilmot proviso either: all they look at is their own -position; they must themselves swing the pick, and they wont swing it by -the side of negro slaves. That is their feeling, their determination, -and the upshot of the whole business. An army of half a million, backed -by the resources of the United States, could not shake their purpose. Of -all men with whom I have ever met, the most firm, resolute, and -indomitable, are the emigrants into California. They feel that they have -got into a new world, where they have a right to shape and settle things -in their own way. No mandate, unless it comes like a thunder-bolt -straight out of heaven, is regarded. They may offer to come into the -Union, but they consider it an act of condescension, like that of Queen -Victoria in her nuptials with Prince Albert. They walk over hills -treasured with the precious ores; they dwell by streams paved with gold; -while every mountain around soars into the heaven, circled with a diadem -richer than that which threw its halo on the seven hills of Rome. All -these belong to them; they walk in their midst; they feel their presence -and power, and partake of their grandeur. Think you that such men will -consent to swing the pick by the side of slaves? Never! while the stream -owns its source, or the mountain its base. You may call it pride, or -what you will, but _there_ it is—deep as the foundations of our nature, -and unchangeable as the laws of its divine Author. - - -TUESDAY, JUNE 26. The intelligence of the death of Gen. Kearny has been -received here with many expressions of affectionate remembrance. During -his brief sojourn in California, his considerate disposition, his -amiable deportment and generous policy, had endeared him to the -citizens. They saw in him nothing of the ruthless invader, but an -intelligent, humane general, largely endowed with a spirit of -forbearance and fraternal regard. The conflict which arrested his -progress at Pasquel, and the disaster in which so many of his brave men -sunk overpowered, were contemplated, by the more considerate of the -inhabitants, rather with a sentiment of regret than an air of triumph. -They seemed to regard these events as a waste of life—as a reckless -resistance on their part, which, if successful for a time, could only -have the effect to continue, for a brief period, the sway of leaders in -whose prudence and patriotism they had no confidence. They took leave of -him with regret, and have received the tidings of his death with -sympathy and sorrow. It is not for me to write his eulogy; it is graven -on the hearts of all who knew him. His star set without a cloud; but its -light lingers still: when all the watch-fires of the tented field have -gone out, a faithful ray will still light the shrine which affection and -bereavement have reared to his worth. - - “Still o’er the past warm memory wakes, - And fondly broods with miser-care; - Time but the impression deeper makes, - As streams their channels deeper wear.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - RIDE OF COL. FREMONT FROM LOS ANGELES TO MONTEREY AND BACK.—THE - PARTY.—THE RELAYS.—CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY.—THE RINCON.—SKELETONS - OF DEAD HORSES.—A STAMPEDE.—GRAY BEARS.—RECEPTION AT MONTEREY.—THE - RETURN.—THE TWO HORSES RODE BY COL. FREMONT.—AN EXPERIMENT.—THE - RESULT.—CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CALIFORNIA HORSE.—FOSSIL REMAINS.—THE - TWO CLASSES OF EMIGRANTS.—LIFE IN CALIFORNIA.—HEADS AGAINST TAILS. - -The ride of Col. Fremont in March, 1847, from the ciudad de los Angeles -to Monterey in Alta California—a distance of four hundred and twenty -miles—and back, exhibits in a strong light the iron nerve of the rider, -and the capacities of the California horse. The party on this occasion, -consisted of the colonel, his friend Don Jesúse Pico, and his servant -Jacob Dodson. Each had three horses, nine in all, to take their turn -under the saddle, and relieve each other every twenty miles; while the -six loose horses galloped ahead, requiring constant vigilance and action -to keep them on the path. The relays were brought under the saddle by -the lasso, thrown by Don Jesúse or Jacob, who, though born and raised in -Washington, in his long expeditions with Col. Fremont, had become expert -as a Mexican with the lasso, sure as a mountaineer with the rifle, equal -to either on horse or foot, and always a lad of courage and fidelity. - -The party left los Angeles on the morning of the 22d, at daybreak, -though the call which took the colonel to Monterey, had reached him only -the evening before. Their path lay through the wild mountains of San -Fernando, where the steep ridge and precipitous glen follow each other -like the deep hollows and crested waves of ocean, under the driving -force of the storm. It was a relief when a rough ravine opened its -winding gallery on the line of their path. They reached at length the -maritime defile of El Rincon, or Punto Gordo, where a mountain bluff -shoulders its way boldly to the sea, leaving for fifteen miles only a -narrow line of broken coast, lashed at high tide, and in the gale, by -the foaming surf. The sun was on the wave of the Pacific, when they -issued from the Rincon; and twilight still lingered when they reached -the hospitable rancho of Don Thomas Robbins—one hundred and twenty-five -miles from los Angeles. The only limb in the company which seemed to -complain of fatigue was the right arm of Jacob, incessantly exercised in -lashing the loose horses to the track, and lassoing the relays. None of -the horses were shod—an iron contrivance unknown here, except among a -few Americans. The gait through the day had been a hand-gallop, relieved -at short intervals by a light trot. Here the party rested for the night, -while the horses gathered their food from the young grass which spread -its tender verdure on the field. - -Another morning had thrown its splendors on the forest when the party -waved their adieu to their hospitable host, and were under way. Their -path lay over the spurs of the Santa Barbara mountains; and close to -that steep ridge, where the California battalion, under Col. Fremont, -encountered on the 25th Dec., 1846, a blinding storm, which still throws -its sleet and hail through the dreams of those hardy men. Such was its -overpowering force, that more than a hundred of their horses dropped -down under their saddles. Their bleaching bones still glimmering in the -gorges, and hanging on the cliffs, are the ghastly memorials of its -terrific violence. None but they, who were of their number, can tell -what that battalion suffered. The object of that campaign accomplished, -and the conquest of California secured, the colonel, with his friend and -servant, was now on his brief return. Their path continued over the -flukes and around the bluffs of the coast mountains, relieved at -intervals by the less rugged slopes and more level lines of the cañada. -The hand-gallop and light trot of their spirited animals brought them, -at set of sun, to the rancho of their friend, Capt. Dana, where they -supped, and then proceeding on to San Luis Obispo, reached the house of -Don Jesúse, the colonel’s companion, at nine o’clock in the evening—one -hundred and thirty-five miles from the place where they broke camp in -the morning! - -The arrival of Col. Fremont having got wind, the rancheros of San Luis -were on an early stir, determined to detain him. All crowded to his -quarters with their gratulations, and the tender of a splendid -entertainment, but his time was too pressing: still escape was -impossible, till a sumptuous breakfast had been served, and popular -enthusiasm had expressed its warm regard. This gratitude and esteem were -the result of that humane construction of military law, which had spared -the forfeited lives of the leaders in the recent insurrectionary war. It -was eleven o’clock in the morning before the colonel and his attendants -were in the saddle. Their tired horses had been left, and eight fresh -ones taken in their places, while their party had been increased by the -addition of a California boy, in the capacity of vaquero. Their path -still lay through a wild broken country, where primeval forests frowned, -and the mountain torrent dashed the tide of its strength. At eight in -the evening they reached the gloomy base of the steep range which guards -the head waters of the Salinas or Buenaventura, seventy miles from San -Luis. Here Don Jesúse, who had been up the greater part of the night -previous, with his family and friends, proposed a few hours rest. As the -place was the favorite haunt of marauding Indians, the party for safety -during their repose, turned off the track, which ran nearer the coast -than the usual rout, and issuing through a cañada into a thick wood, -rolled down in their serapes, with their saddles for their pillows, -while their horses were put to grass at a short distance, with the -Spanish boy in the saddle to keep watch. Sleep once commenced, was too -sweet to be easily given up; midnight had passed when the party were -roused from their slumbers by an _estampedo_ among their horses, and the -loud calls of the watch boy. The cause of the alarm proved not to be -Indians, but gray bears, which infest this wild pass. It was here that -Col. Fremont with thirty-five of his men, in the summer preceding, fell -in with several large bands of these ferocious fellows, who appeared to -have posted themselves here to dispute the path. An attack was ordered, -and thirteen of their grim file were left dead on the field. Such is -their acknowledged strength and towering rage, when assaulted, the -bravest hunters, when outnumbered, generally give them a wide berth. -When it was discovered that they had occasioned this midnight stampede, -the first impulse was to attack them; but Don Jesúse, who understood -their habits and weak points, discouraged the idea, stating that “people -_gente_ can scare bears,” and with that gave a succession of loud -halloos, at which the bears commenced their retreat. The horses by good -fortune were recovered, a fire kindled, and by break of day, the party -had finished their breakfast, and were again in the saddle. Their path, -issuing from the gloomy forests of the Soledad, skirted the coast range, -and crossed the plain of the Salinas to Monterey, where they arrived -three hours to set of sun, and ninety miles from their last -camping-tree. - -The principal citizens of Monterey, as soon as the arrival of Col. -Fremont was announced, assembled at the office of the alcalde, and -passed resolutions inviting him to a public dinner; but the urgency of -his immediate return obliged him to forego the proffered honor. At four -o’clock in the afternoon of the day succeeding that of their arrival, -the party were ready to start on their return. The two horses rode by -the colonel from San Luis Obispo, were a present to him from Don Jesúse, -who now desired him to make an experiment with the abilities of one of -them. They were brothers, one a year younger than the other, both the -same color—cinnamon—and hence called _el canelo_, or _los canelos_. The -elder was taken for the trial, and lead off gallantly as the party -struck the plain which stretches towards the Salinas. A more graceful -horse, and one more deftly mounted, I have never seen. The eyes of the -gathered crowd followed them till they disappeared in the shadows of the -distant hills. Forty miles on the hand-gallop, and they camped for the -night. Another day dawned, and the elder canelo was again under the -saddle of Col. Fremont, and for ninety miles carried him without change, -and without apparent fatigue. It was still thirty miles to San Luis, -where they were to pass the night, and Don Jesúse insisted that canelo -could easily perform it, and so said the horse in his spirited look and -action. But the colonel would not put him to the trial; and shifting the -saddle to the younger brother, the elder was turned loose to run the -remaining thirty miles without a rider. He immediately took the lead, -and kept it the whole distance, entering San Luis on a sweeping gallop, -and neighing with exultation on his return to his native pastures. His -younger brother, with equal spirit, kept the lead of the horses under -the saddle, bearing on his bit, and requiring the constant check of his -rider. The whole eight horses made their one hundred and twenty miles -each in this day’s ride, after having performed forty the evening -before. The elder cinnamon, who had taken his rider through the forty, -carried him ninety miles further to-day, and would undoubtedly have -taken him through the remaining thirty miles had Col. Fremont continued -him under the saddle. - -After a detention of half a day at San Luis Obispo by a rain-storm, the -party resumed the horses they had left there, and which took them back -to los Angeles in the same time they had brought them up. Thus making -their five hundred miles each in four days, with the interval of repose -occupied in the ride from San Luis to Monterey and back. In this whole -journey from los Angeles to Monterey and back—making eight hundred and -forty miles—the party had actually but one relay of fresh horses; the -time on the road was about seventy-six hours. The path through the -entire route lies through a wild broken country, over ridges, down -gorges, around bluffs, and through gloomy defiles, where a traveller, -unused to these mountains, would often deem even the slow trot -impracticable. The only food which the horses had, except a few quarts -of barley at Monterey, was the grass on the road; though the trained and -domesticated horses, like the canelos, will eat or drink almost every -thing which their master uses. They will take from his caressing hand -bread, fruits, sugar, coffee; and, like the Persian horse, will not -refuse a bumper of wine. They obey with gentlest docility his slightest -intimation; a swing of his hand, or a tap of his whip on the saddle, -will spring them into instant action, while the check of a thread-rein -on the Spanish bit will bring them to a dead stand; and yet in these -sudden stops, when rushing at the top of their speed, they manage not to -jostle their rider, or throw him forward. They go where their master -directs, whether it be a leap on the foe, up a flight of stairs, or over -a chasm. But this is true only of the conduct and behavior of those -horses trained like the canelos, who vindicate, in the mountain glens of -California, their Arabian origin. They are all grace, fleetness, muscle, -and fire; gentle as the lamb, lively as the antelope, and fearless as -the lion. - - - MARINE REMAINS. - -The hills around Monterey are full of marine shells. You can turn them -out wherever you drive your spade into the ground. The Indians dig and -burn them for lime, which is used in whitewashing the adobe walls of -houses, and which makes them glimmer in the sun like banks of -freshly-driven snow. It has not sufficient strength for the mason, but -no other was in use when we landed at Monterey. The first regular -lime-kiln was burnt by me for the town-hall I found the stone about ten -miles from Monterey, and the lime it produced of a superior quality. -When the lime, hair, lath, and sand were brought together, no little -curiosity was awakened by the heterogeneous mass, and the admiration was -equally apparent when each took its place and performed its part in the -plaster and hard finish of the wall and ceiling. Thousands came to see -the work; it was the lion of the day. But the curiosity of the geologist -would turn from this to the fossil oyster-shells in the hills; and when -he has exhausted those on the coast, let him turn inland, and he will -find on the mountains, two hundred miles from the sea, and on elevations -of a thousand feet, the same marine productions; and not only these, but -the skeleton of a whale almost entire. How came that monster up there, -high and dry, glimmering like the pale skeleton of a huge cloud between -us and the moon? Did the central fire which threw up the mountain ridge, -throw him up on its crest? How astonished he must have been to find -himself up there, blowing off steam among volcanoes and comets! Now let -our _savans_ quit their cockle-shells and petrified herring, and tell us -about that whale. They will find him near the rancho of Robert -Livermore, on a mountain which overlooks the great valley of the San -Joaquin. There he reposes in grim majesty, while the winds of ages pour -through his bleaching bones their hollow dirge. - - - THE TWO CLASSES OF EMIGRANTS. - -The emigrants to California are composed of two classes—those who come -to live by their wits, and those who come to accumulate by their work. -The wit capitalists will find dupes for a time—small fish in shallow -waters—but a huge roller will soon heave them all high and dry! This is -the last country to which a man should come, who is above or beneath the -exercise of his muscles. Every object he meets addresses him in the -admonitory language which gleams in the motto of the Arkansas -bowie-knife—“root, hog, or die.” But then he has this encouragement: he -can root almost anywhere, but _root_ he must. They who come relying on -their physical forces, and who are largely endowed with the organs of -perseverance, will succeed. But if they stay too long in San Francisco, -their enthusiasm will have an ague-fit, and their golden dream turn to -sleet and hail. They should hasten through and dash at once into their -scene of labor; nor should they expect success without corresponding -efforts; if fortune favors them to-day, she will disappoint them -to-morrow; her favors and frowns fall with marvellous caprice; the -digger must be above the one and independent of the other; he must rely -upon his own resources; and upon his fidelity to one unchanged and -unchangeable purpose. He comes here to get gold, not in pounds or -ounces, but in grains; his most instructive lesson will be by the side -of the ant-hill. There he sees a little industrious fellow, foregoing -the pastimes of other insects, and bringing another grain to his heap; -working on with right good heart through the day, and sometimes taking -advantage of the moon, and plying his task through the luminous night. -Let him watch that ant, and go and do likewise, if he would return from -California with a fortune. I don’t recommend him to come here and -convert himself into a pismire for gold; but if he _will_ come, the more -he has of the habits of that little groundling the better. - - - CALIFORNIA ON CHARACTER. - -Life in California impresses new features on old characters, as a fresh -mintage on antiquated coins. The man whose prudence in the States never -forsakes him, and whose practical maxim is, “a bird in the hand is worth -two in the bush,” will _here_ throw all his birds into the bushes, -seemingly for the mere excitement of catching them again. He finds -himself in an atmosphere so strongly stirred and stirring, that he must -whirl with it, and soon enjoys the strong eddy almost as much as the -still pool. He may hang perhaps a moment on the verge of a cataract, but -if it spreads below to a tranquil lake, down he goes, and emerges from -the boiling gulf calm and confident as if lord of the glittering -trident. Or he may have been, while in the States, remarked for his -parsimony, pinching every cent as it dropped into the contribution-box -as if there was a spasm between his avarice and alms. But in California -that cent so awfully pinched soon takes the shape of a doubloon, and -slides from his hand too easily to leave even the odor of its value -behind. I have known five men, who never contributed a dollar in the -States for the support of a clergyman subscribe here five hundred -dollars each per annum, merely to encourage, as they termed it, “a good -sort of a thing in the community.” I have seen a miser, who would have -sold a hob-nail from his heel for old iron, in bartering off his saddle -throw in the horse; and then exchange a lump of perfectly pure gold for -one half quartz, merely because it struck his fancy! Such are some of -the anomalies in character which a life in California produces. If you -doubt it, make the experiment, and you will soon find your own heart, -though gnarled as a knot, cracking open, and turning inside out like a -kernel of parched corn. - - - HEADS AND TAILS. - -My friend William Blackburn, alcalde of Santa Cruz, often hits upon a -method of punishing a transgressor, which has some claims to originality -as well as justice. A young man was brought before him, charged with -having sheared, close to the stump, the sweeping tail of another’s -horse. The evidence of the nefarious act, and of the prisoner’s guilt, -was conclusive. The alcalde sent for a barber, ordered the offender to -be seated, and directed the tonsor to shear and shave him clean of his -dark flowing locks and curling moustache, in which his pride and vanity -lay This was hardly done, when Mr. B, counsel for the prisoner entered, -and moved an arrest of judgment. “Oh, yes,” said the alcalde, “as the -shears and razor have done their work, judgment may now rest.” “And -under what law,” inquired the learned counsel, “has this penalty been -inflicted?” “Under the Mosaic,” replied the alcalde: “that good old -rule—eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hair for hair.” “But,” said the -biblical jurist, “_that_ was the law of the Old Testament, which has -been abrogated in the New.” “But we are still living,” returned the -alcalde, “under the old dispensation, and must continue there till -Congress shall sanction a new order of things.” “Well, well,” continued -the counsel, “old dispensation or new, the penalty was too severe—a -man’s head against a horse’s tail!” “That is not the question,” rejoined -the alcalde: “it is the hair on the one against the hair on the other; -now as there are forty fiddles to one wig in California, the inference -is just, that horsehair of the two is in most demand, and that the -greatest sufferer in this case is still the owner of the steed.” “But, -then,” murmured the ingenious counsel, “you should consider the young -man’s pride.” “Yes, yes,” responded the alcalde, “I considered all that, -and considered too the stump of that horse’s tail, and the just pride of -his owner. Your client will recover his crop much sooner than the other, -and will manage, I hope, to keep it free of the barber’s department in -this court;” and with this, client and counsel were dismissed. - - - SPANISH COURTESIES. - -The courtesies characteristic of the Spanish linger in California, and -seem, as you encounter them amid the less observant habits of the -emigration, like golden-tinted leaves of Autumn, still trembling on -their stems in the rushing verdure of Spring. They exhibit themselves in -every phase of society and every walk of life. You encounter them in the -church, in the fandango, at the bridal altar, and the hearse: they adorn -youth, and take from age its chilling severity. They are trifles in -themselves, but they refine social intercourse, and soften its -alienations. They may seem to verge upon extremes, but even then they -carry some sentiment with them, some sign of deference to humanity. I -received a cluster of wild-flowers from a lady, with a note in pure -Castilian, and bearing in the subscription the initials of the words, -which rudely translated mean, “I kiss your hand.” One might have felt -tempted to write her back— - - Thou need’st not, lady, stoop so low - To print the gentle kiss: - Can hands return what lips bestow, - Or blush to show their bliss? - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - THE TRAGEDY AT SAN MIGUEL.—COURT AND CULPRITS.—AGE AND CIRCUMSTANCES - OF THOSE WHO SHOULD COME TO CALIFORNIA.—CONDITION OF THE - PROFESSIONS.—THE WRONGS OF CALIFORNIA.—CLAIMS ON THE CHRISTIAN - COMMUNITY.—JOURNALISTS. - -Retribution follows fast on the heels of crime in California. Two -persons, a Hessian and Irishman, whom I had met in the Stanislaus, left -the mines for the seaboard. On their way to Stockton, they fell in with -two miners asleep under a tree, whom they murdered and robbed of their -gold; with this booty they hastened across the valley of the San -Joaquin, and skirting the mountains to avoid all frequented paths, held -their course south to La Solidad. Here they fell in with three deserters -from the Pacific squadron, who joined them, and the whole party -proceeded south to San Miguel, where they quartered themselves for the -night on the hospitality of Mr. Reade, an English ranchero of -respectability and wealth. In the morning they took their departure, but -had proceeded only a short distance, when it was agreed they should -return and rob their host. During the ensuing night they rose on the -household, consisting of Mr. Reade, his wife, and three children, a -kinswoman with four children, and two Indian domestics, and murdered the -whole! Having rifled the money-chest of a large amount of gold dust, the -blood-stained party renewed their flight south, and had reached a -secluded cove in a bend of the sea, below Santa Barbara, where they were -overtaken by a band of citizens, who had tracked them from the -neighborhood of San Miguel. The fugitives were armed, and avowed their -determination to shoot down any person who should attempt to apprehend -them. The citizens, though few, and badly provided with weapons, were -resolute and determined. A desperate conflict ensued, in which one of -the felons was shot dead; another, having discharged the last barrel of -his revolver, jumped into the sea and was drowned; the remaining three -were at length disarmed and secured. Of the citizens several were -wounded, and one—the father of a beloved family—lay a corpse! The next -morning, as there was no alcalde in the vicinity, the three prisoners -were brought before a temporary court organized for the purpose, wherein -twelve good and lawful men took oath to render judgment according to -conscience. Each person when brought to the bar told his own story, -inextricably involving his associates in the guilt of deliberate murder, -and who, in their turn, wove the same terrible web about him. Of their -guilt, though convicted without the testimony of an impartial witness, -no doubt remained to disturb the convictions of the court. They were -sentenced to death, and before the sun went down were in their graves! -The whole five were buried among the stern rocks which frown on the sea, -and which seem as if there to stay the tide of crime, as well as the -storms of ocean. What a tragedy of depravity and despair! Thirteen -innocent persons—men, women, and children—swept in an unsuspecting -moment from life; and the five perpetrators of the crime, crushed into a -hurried grave, under the avenging arm of justice! There is a spirit in -California that will rightly dispose of the murderer; it may at times be -hasty, and too little observant of the forms of law, but it reaches its -object; it leaves the guilty no escape through the defects of an -indictment, the ingenuity of counsel, or the clemency of the executive. -It plants itself on the ground that the first duty society owes itself, -is to protect its members; and to secure this object, it throws around -the sanctity of life, the defenses found in the terrors of death. The -grave is the prison which God has sunk in the path of the murderer. Let -not man attempt to bridge it. - - - WHO SHOULD STAY AND WHO COME. - -The indiscretion with which so many thousands are rushing to California -will be a source of regret to them, and of sorrow to their friends. Not -one in twenty will bring back a fortune, and not more than one in ten -secure the means of defraying the expenses of his return. I speak now of -those whose plans and efforts are confined to the mines, and who rely on -the proceeds of their manual labor: when they have defrayed the expenses -incident to their position, liquidated all demands for food, clothing, -and implements for the year, their yellow heap will dwindle to a point. -This might serve as the nucleus of operations which are to extend -through a series of years; but as the result of the enterprise, -involving privation and hardship, is a failure, no man should come to -California under the impression that he can in a few months pick a -fortune out of its mines. He may here and there light on a more -productive deposit, but the chances are a hundred to one that his gains -will be slenderly and laboriously acquired. He is made giddy with the -reports of sudden wealth; these are the rare _prizes_, while the silence -of the grave hangs over the multitudinous _blanks_. - -A young man endowed with a vigorous constitution, and who possesses -sterling habits of sobriety and application, and who has no dependencies -at home, can do well in California. But he should come with the resolute -purpose of remaining here eight or ten years, and with a spirit that can -throw its unrelaxed energies into any enterprise which the progress of -the country may develop. He must identify himself for the time being -with all the great interests which absorb attention, and quicken labor. -If he has not the enterprise and force of purpose which this requires, -he should remain at home. There is another class of persons whom -domestic obligations and motives of prudence should dissuade from a -California adventure. It is blind folly in a man, who has a family -dependent on him for a support, to exhaust the little means, which -previous industry and frugality have left, in defraying the expenses of -a passage here, with the vague hope that in a year or two he can return -with an ample competence. I respect his feelings and motives, but -honorable intentions cannot save him from disappointment. When the -expenses which the most rigid economy could not avoid have been paid, -and the obligations connected with the support of his family at home -have been discharged, the results of his enterprise will leave him poor. -He may never tell you of broken hopes and a shattered constitution, but -his hearth-stone is strewn with their pale, admonitory fragments. Let me -persuade those whom God has blessed with a faithful wife and interesting -family, not to abandon these objects of affection for the gold mines of -California. Do not come out here under the delusive belief that you can -in a few months, or a brief year, on the proceeds of the mattock and -bowl, accumulate a fortune. This has rarely if ever been done, even -where the deposits were first disturbed by the more fortunate -adventurer. If it could not be done in the green tree, what are you to -expect in the dry? If when the _placers_ were fresh, many gathered but -little more than sufficient to meet their current wants, what can you -anticipate when they are measurably exhausted? They who inflame your -imagination with tales of inexhaustible deposits which only wait your -spade and wash-bowl, abuse your credulity, and dishonor their own claims -to truth. - - - THE PROFESSIONS AND PURSUITS. - -All the secular professions and more privileged or prescribed pursuits -in California are crowded to overflowing. Physicians are without -patients; lawyers without clients; surveyors without lands; -hydrographers without harbors; actors without audiences; painters -without pupils; financiers without funds; minters without metals; -printers without presses; hunters without hounds, and fiddlers without -fools. And all these must take to the plough, the pickaxe, and spade. -Even California, with all her treasured hills and streams, fell under -that primal malediction which threw its death-shade on the infant world. -It is as true here as among the granite rocks of New England—in the -sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. Let none think to escape this -labor-destiny here; it environs the globe, and binds every nation and -tribe in its inexorable folds. - -The merchant, whose shrewdness avails him everywhere else, will often be -wrecked here. The markets of a single month have all the phases of its -fickle moon. The slender crescent waxes into the circle; and the full -orb passes under a total eclipse. The man that figured on its front is -gone, and with him the hopes of the millionaire. The bullfrog in his -croaking pond, and the owl in his hooting tree, remain; but the -speculator, like a ghost at the glimmer of day, hath fled. You can only -dimly remember the phantom’s shape and where he walked, and half doubt -the dream in which he denizened and dissolved from sight. But still the -gulf of vision swarms with realities—with beings where the play of life -and death, joy and grief, wealth and want, are the portion of the living -and the legacy of the dead. California is a continent swelling between -the hopes of the future and the wrecks of the past; but like all other -continents, will be visited with the alternation of day and night. The -cloud will travel where the sunbeam hath been. - - - WRONGS OF CALIFORNIA. - -The neglect and wrongs of California will yet find a tongue. From the -day the United States flag was raised in this country, she has been the -victim of the most unrelenting oppression. Her farmers were robbed of -their stock to meet the exigences of war; and her emigrants forced into -the field to maintain the conquest. Through the exactions of the -custom-house the comforts and necessaries of life were oppressively -taxed. No article of food or raiment could escape this forced -contribution; it reached the plough of the farmer, the anvil of the -smith; the blanket that protected your person, the salt that seasoned -your food, the shingle that roofed your cabin, and the nail that bound -your coffin. Even the light of heaven paid its contribution in its -windowed tariff. And who were the persons on whom these extortions fell? -Citizens whom the government had promised to relieve of taxation, and -emigrants who had exhausted their last means in reaching their new -abode! There was treachery and tyranny combined in the treatment which -they received. A less provocation sunk the dutied tea in the harbor of -Boston, and severed the indignant colonies from the British crown. - -Nor does this gross injustice stop here: this oppressive tax was -enforced at a time when there was but little specie in the country; the -whole circulating medium was absorbed in its unrighteous demands. Nor -was the case materially relieved by the discovery of gold; this precious -ore was extorted at ten dollars the ounce, and forfeited at that -arbitrary valuation if not redeemed within a given time. There was no -specie by which it could be redeemed, and it went to the clutches of the -government at ten dollars, when its real value at our mints is eighteen -dollars. If this be not robbery, will some one define what that word -means? It was worse than robbery—it was swindling under the color of -law. All this has been carried on against a community without a -representation in our national legislature, and without any civil -benefits in return. Not even a light-house rose to relieve its onerous -injustice. Hundreds of thousands, not to say millions thus extorted, are -now locked up in the sub-treasury chest at San Francisco. Every -doubloon, dollar, and dime that reaches the country is forced under that -inexorable key. In this absorption of the circulating medium, commercial -loans can be effected only on ruinous rates of interest, and the civil -government itself is bankrupt. - -Every dollar of these ill-gotten gains should be placed forthwith at the -disposal of the state of California. It belongs to her; it never was the -property of the United States under any law of Congress. It has been -exacted under executive circulars, under the naked dictates of arbitrary -power. I blame not the revenue functionaries of the general government -in California; they were bound by the orders and instructions which they -received; the responsibility rests nearer home: it rests with those who -have usurped and exercised powers not conferred by the Constitution, or -the consent of the American people. Nor do these aggressions and wrongs -stop here. Who has authorized a captain of U. S. dragoons to drive, at -the point of his flashing glaive, peaceful citizens from their gardens -and dwellings on the bay of San Francisco, under the pretext of a -government reservation, and then to farm out those grounds under a ten -years’ lease? Who has conferred this impudent stretch of authority, and -this private monopoly of the public domain? Let the citizens thus -trampled upon maintain their right, even with their rifles, till they -can be made the proper subjects of judicial investigation or legislative -action. - - - CLAIMS ON THE CHRISTIAN. - -With the Christian community California has higher claims than those -which glitter in her mines. The moral elements which now drift over her -streams and treasured rocks will ere long settle down into abiding -forms. The impalpable will become the real, and the unsubstantial assume -a local habitation and a name. Shall these permanent shapes, into which -society is to be cast, take their plastic features from the impress of -blind accident and skeptical apathy, or the moulding hand of religion? -These primal forms must remain and wear for ages the traces of their -deformity or beauty, their guilty insignificance or moral grandeur. -Through them circulates your own life-blood; in them is bound up the -hopes of an empire. Not only the destiny of California is suspended on -the issue, but the fate of all the republics which cheer the shores of -the Pacific. The same treason to religion which wrecks the institutions -of this country, will sap the foundations of a thousand other glorified -shrines. It is for you, Christian brethren, to prevent such a disaster; -it is for you to pour into California an unremitted tide of holy light. -The Bible must throw its sacred radiance around every hearth, over every -stream, through every mountain glen. The voice of the heralds of -heavenly love must be echoed from every cliff and chasm and forest -sanctuary. On you devolves this mission of Christian fidelity. It is for -your faith and philanthropy to say what California shall be when her -swelling population shall burst the bounds of her domain. You can write -her hopes in ashes, or stars that shall never set. Every school-book and -Bible you throw among her hills will be a source of penetrating and -pervading light, when the torch of the caverned miner has gone out. The -images which you impress on her gold age will efface; but the insignia -of truth, stamped into her ardent heart, will survive the touch of time, -and gleam bright in the night of the grave. - - - PROPHETIC SHADOWS AND JOURNALISTS. - -Coming events cast their shadows before. When Com. Jones, several years -since, captured Monterey, no political seer discovered in the event the -precursor of an actual, permanent possession. No flag waved on the -horoscope save the Mexican; no thunder broke on the ear of the augur, -except what disturbed the wrong quarter of the heaven; and even the -birds, which carried the fate of nations in their sounding beaks, flew -in a wrong direction. But the first occupation, though it came and went -as a shadow, was an omen, which has now become a reality—a great -eventful _fact_ in the history of the age. The commodore, who struck -this first uncertain blow, is now here entrusted with the defence of the -new acquisition. His spirit of intelligence and enterprise is making -itself felt in every department, that justly falls within the -prerogatives of a commander-in-chief. - -There are a multitude of topics connected with the wild life and new -condition of affairs in California, which must escape the pen of any one -journalist. Some of them are touched with vivid force in the graphic -pictures of “El Dorado,” others are sketched with lively effect in the -pages of “Los Gringos,” while California as she was, before gold had -cankered her barbaric bliss, is thrown wildly on our vision, by the -author of “Two Years Before the Mast.” Her geography, the habits of her -citizens, and her resources, when little known beyond the furtive -glances of the coaster, are faithfully delineated in the pioneer pages -of Col. Fremont, Capt. Wilkes, and Mr. Robinson. Every traveller can -find in California some new untouched feature for a sketch. They unroll -themselves on the eye at every glance. With the reader they are rather -sources of wonder and amusement, than solid advantage. Our globe was -invested with no claims to utility till it had emerged from chaos; then -verdure clothed its hills and vales; then flowing streams made vocal the -forest aisles; then rolled the anthem of the morning star. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - - THE GOLD-BEARING QUARTZ.—THEIR LOCALITY.—RICHNESS AND - EXTENT.—SPECIMENS AND DOUBTFUL CONCLUSIONS.—THE SUITABLE MACHINERY - TO BE USED IN THE MOUNTAINS.—THE COURT OF ADMIRALTY AT MONTEREY.—ITS - ORGANIZATION AND JURISDICTION.—THE CASES DETERMINED.—SALE OF THE - PRIZES.—CONVENTION AND CONSTITUTION OF CALIFORNIA.—DIFFICULTIES AND - COMPROMISES.—SPIRIT OF THE INSTRUMENT. - -The surface gold in California will in a few years be measurably -exhausted; the occasional discovery of new deposits cannot long postpone -such a result; nor will it be delayed for any great number of years, by -any more scientific and thorough method of securing the treasure. -California will prove no exception in these respects to other sections -of the globe where surface gold has been found. The great question is, -will her mountains be exhausted with her streams and valleys? Will her -rock gold give out with her alluvial deposits? The gold-bearing quartz -is the sheet-anchor at which the whole argosy rides; if this parts, your -golden craft goes to fragments. - -When an old Sonoranian told me in the mines that the quartz _sweated_ -out the gold, all the young savans around laughed at the old man’s -stupidity; and I must say the _perspiration_ part of the business rather -staggered my credulity, which has some compass, where there are no laws -to guide one. But the old digger was nearer the truth than many who have -more felicitous terms in which to express their theories. Though the -gold may not ooze from the quartz as water drips from a rock, yet it is -_there_, and often beads from the surface like a tear that has lost its -way among the dimples of a lady’s cheek. In other instances it shows -itself only in fine veins; and in others still, is wholly concealed from -the naked eye, and even eludes the optical instrument; but when reduced -to powder with the quartz, flies to the embrace of quicksilver, and -takes a virgin shape, massive and rich. The specimens of quartz which -have been subjected to experiment, have yielded from one to three -dollars the pound. These specimens were gathered at different points, in -the foot range of the Sierra Nevada, and are deemed only a fair average -of the yield that may be derived from the quartz. - -The gold rocks of Georgia and Virginia yield, on an average, less than -half a cent to the pound, and yet the profits are sufficient to justify -deep mining. What then must be the profits of working a rock which lies -near the surface, and which yields over a dollar to the pound! The -result staggers credulity; and we seek a refuge from the weakness of -faith in the more reasonable persuasion, that the specimens tested are -richer than the average of the veins and quarries which remain. And yet -the poorest specimen, which the casual blow of the sledge has knocked -from the sunlit peak, has seemingly more gold in its shadow, than the -rock unhouseled from its mine in Virginia beneath forty fathoms of -darkness. The only real defence for our incredulity lies in the -presumption, that the gold-bearing quartz, like the surface deposits, -has its confined localities. And yet Mr. Wright, our member of Congress -from California, who has traversed the slopes of the Sierra, collected -more specimens, and made more experiments than any other individual, is -sanguine in the opinion that the gold-bearing quartz occupies a broad -continuous vein through the entire extent of the foot range: and in this -opinion the Hon. T. Butler King, in his lucid report, coincides. Still -such a wide departure in nature from all her known laws, or capricious -impulses, in the distribution of gold, leaps beyond my belief. In no -other part of her wide domain has she deposited in the quartz rock a -proportion of gold more than sufficient barely to compensate the hardy -miner: and it is difficult to believe, that with all her affection for -California, she has been so prodigal of her gifts. It surpasses the -rainbow-inwoven coat bestowed by the partial love of the patriarch on -his favorite child. - -When a simple swain saw a necromancer break a cocoanut shell and let fly -half a dozen canary birds, he remarked, there was no doubt the young -birds were hatched in the cocoanut; but what puzzled him was, to know -how the old bird could get in to lay the eggs. But a deeper puzzle with -me is, that each and every cocoanut on this California tree, should have -a nest of canaries in it. And yet, with all these dogged doubts and -dismal dissuasives, were I going to invest in California speculations, -my inklings would turn strongly to quartz and stampers. - -But I would send out no machinery which should have a piece in it -weighing over seventy or eighty pounds: no other can be taken through -the gorges, and over the acclivities to the lofty steeps where the -quartz exists. The machinery which can be readily taken to the mines in -Virginia, would cost a fortune in its transportation to the proper -localities in California. The heaviest capitalist would find himself -swamped before he got to work. Every piece must be taken over elevations -where a man can hardly draw himself up, and where his life is often -suspended on the strength of the fibres which twine the bush to the -fissures of the rock. It should be so light as to render its removal to -any new and more productive locality practicable, without involving a -ruinous expense. A machine wielding the force of one man, and stamping -on the spot, will be more productive than a forty-horse power working at -a distance. All the transportation must be done by hand, for no animal -can subsist among the steeps where the quartz prevail. Watch the eagle -as he soars to his high cliff with a writhing snake in his beak, and -then seize your light machinery and pursue his track. But, chained to a -heavy engine, you would make about as much progress as that mountain -bird with his talons driven into the back of a mastodon or whale. - - - COURT OF ADMIRALTY. - -There were seven prize cases introduced into the court of admiralty at -Monterey, on which condemnation and sale of the property libelled -ensued. They were all clearly cases of legal capture, and came under the -well-established rule of international law, that the hostile character -attaches to the commerce of the neutral domiciled in the enemy’s -country. This rule is enforced by every consideration of sound policy -and national justice. If the flag of the neutral can protect the -property over which it waves, the entire commerce of the belligerent -might assume this neutral garb, and be as safe in time of war as peace. -To prevent such an abuse, the comity of nations has conceded the general -principle, that all commerce flowing to or emanating from a mercantile -house, established in the enemy’s country, shall be deemed hostile, and -be held liable to seizure. - -A much more difficult question arose connected with the competency of -the court. Its organization arose out of the exigences of war; the -alternative lay between a recognition of its jurisdiction, and the -extreme right of the belligerent to burn and sink his captures. -Congress, in a declaration of war, virtually invests the executive with -authority to prosecute it, and secure the ends for which it has been -waged. He is necessarily entrusted with extraordinary discretion and -corresponding powers; when, in the due prosecution of these measures, he -finds himself borne beyond their statutory provisions, and surrounded by -exigences, lying at the time perhaps beyond the purview of legislative -enactment, he must either forego the objects which animated the acts of -the national legislature, or temporarily assume the responsibility which -the crisis demands. He must authorize the maintenance of civil -government in territories acquired by our arms, and judicial proceedings -in cases of capture on the high seas, which cannot be brought within the -jurisdiction of our established courts. - -Nor is there any thing in such judicial proceedings which trenches upon -the laws of nations; these laws never assume the right to define the -powers vested in the executive of a realm. They claim no authority to -bring into court the constitutional prerogatives of a prince or of the -president of a republic; these are questions which appertain to the -forms of government where the acts originate, where the power is -exercised, and which must be disposed of as the wisdom of the nation may -deem proper. It is enough that national law allows the captor at his -peril to burn or sink his prize. Any executive measure to prevent such a -precipitate result, and to subject the legality of the capture to the -forms of a judicial investigation, is in accordance with every dictate -of moral justice, and that strong sense of right which binds every -civilized nation in a period of war as well as peace. Nor can the -captor, from a want of jurisdiction in the court that determines his -case, lose his prize. All the claimant can do is to require him to -appear before a court of competent authority, where the case must be -examined and decided _de novo_ on its merits. This great principle in -maritime jurisprudence has been recognized and confirmed in the decision -of the High Court of Admiralty in England. Half a century has rolled -over that decision, but its authoritative force remains firm and -unshaken as the base of the sea-girt isle. - -It devolved on the court at Monterey not only to determine the prize -cases submitted, but to assume an onerous responsibility in the disposal -of the property libelled and condemned. The cargo of one of these prizes -consisted of a large amount of cotton, paper, and iron, destined to a -Mexican market, and for which there was no adequate demand in -California. The highest cash bid that could be procured at a sale duly -notified, was $34,000. To this bid the property must be knocked down, or -surrendered to a credit bid of $60,000, involving conditions for the -benefit of the purchaser wholly inadmissible in law. In this perplexity -I bid the ship and cargo in; placed a faithful, competent agent and crew -on board, and sent the whole to Mazatlan, which had become a port of -entry. The result was, that after discharging all claims existing -against the property, I paid over to the Secretary of the Navy, as the -net proceeds of the sales, the sum of $68,000, and stand credited with -that amount on the books of the department. But this is rather a matter -of personal service than a topic of public interest; it is, however, -connected with official duty, and exhibits one of the many forms in -which private responsibility may be tasked in saving from sacrifice -property confided to its care. A failure in such cases often brings -ruin; and even success may be obliged to seek its meagre remuneration -through the slow forms of legislative relief. - - - CONSTITUTION OF CALIFORNIA. - -The desires of the people of California for a civil government, suited -to their new condition, at length found utterance at the ballot-box. The -best informed and most sedate of her citizens were elected in their -several districts, and commissioned to proceed to Monterey, for the -purpose of drafting in concert the provisions of a constitution. Never -were interests, habits, and associations more diverse than those -represented in this body. Unanimity could be reached only through the -largest concessions. It was the conquerors and the conquered, the -conservatives and the progressives; they who owned the lands, and they -who worked the mines, assembling to frame organic laws which should -equally secure and bind the interests of all. No cloud ever cast its -shadow on equal incongruities grouped in cliffs and chasms, pinnacles -and precipices, without having it broken into a thousand fragments. But -the honest and patriotic purpose which animated the convention, raised -that body above all national prejudice and local interests, and poured -its spirit in blending power over its measures. They had been -commissioned to plan and perfect a constitution for California, and they -were true to their trust. Day after day they labored at that eventful -instrument; no passion, no prejudice disturbed their counsels: where -opinions clashed, they were softened; where interests jarred, they were -harmonized; where local feeling sought assertion, it was surrendered. -Till at last, through this spirit of deference, compromise, and public -concern, the instrument was finished. And now let us glance at its -prominent features. - -This constitution is thoroughly democratic; no prescriptive privileges, -or invidious distinctions are recognized; the interests of the great -mass fill every provision. Political and social equality are its bases, -while the rights of private judgment and individual conscience flow -untrammelled through its spirit. It is the embodiment of the American -mind, throwing its convictions, impulses, and aspirations into a -tangible, permanent shape. It is the creed of the thousands who wield -the plough, the plane, the hammer, the trowel, and spade. It is the -palladium of freedom, rolled in from the seaboard, and down from the -mountains, and which has caught its echoes from every river, steep, and -valley. It is the fraternal oath of a great people, uttered in the -presence of God and the hearing of nations. Millions will turn their -eyes to the fulfilment of its promises, when time and disaster have -engulfed the monuments of their own splendor and strength. - -The 13th of October, 1849, will never fade from the annals of -California. It was not the sun, circling up into a broad and brilliant -heaven, that gave this morn its brightness: it was not the thunder of -the Pacific on the sea-beaten strand, that gave the day its impressive -force: it was not the long heavy roll of the artillery that most -signalized the hour; nor the harmony of the winds rolling their anthems -from the steep forests that stirred most strongly the human heart. It -was the silent signatures of the members of the convention to the -constitution, which had been confided to their wisdom and patriotic -fidelity. It was this last crowning act in an eventful moral enterprise, -having its source in the exigences of a great community. I wonder not -the old pioneer of the Sacramento pronounced it the greatest day of his -life; I wonder not that the veteran “Hero of Contreras” forgot the -laurels gathered on that field of fame, in the higher and nobler honors -showered upon him in this day’s achievements. It was his steady purpose -and fearless responsibility that threw into organized forms and -practical results, the plans and purposes of the people of California. -He will find his reward in the happiness and prosperity of a great -state, over which the flag of the Union shall never cease to wave. The -tide of Anglo-Saxon blood stops not here; it is to circulate on other -shores, continents, and isles; its progress is blent with the steady -triumphs of commerce, art, civilization, and religion. It will yet flow -the globe round, and beat in every nation’s pulse; morn will not blush, -or twilight fade where its swelling wave is not; its guiding-star is -above the disasters in which the purposes of man are sphered. - -I regret my limits will not permit me to follow the Pacific squadron, -under the command of Com. Shubrick, to the Mexican coast. The capture -and occupation of Mazatlan has hardly stirred a whisper in the trump of -fame, which has poured out such strains on the other side of the -continent. And yet this achievement of the commodore had in it a spirit -of wisdom, resolution, and firmness that might emblazon a much loftier -page than mine. When the history of the Mexican war shall be written, -and the services of those who shared in its hardships and perils be duly -recognized, Com. Shubrick, with the gallant officers and brave men -attached to his command, will receive a lasting meed of merited renown. -It is now silently written in that international compact which -terminated the apprehensions of one republic and sealed the triumphs of -another. It was the waving of the stars and stripes on the strand of the -Pacific which left a forlorn hope without a refuge, and coerced the -terms of an honorable peace; and long may that peace remain unbroken by -the monster of discord and war. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - - GLANCES AT TOWNS SPRUNG AND SPRINGING.—SAN - FRANCISCO.—BENICIA.—SACRAMENTO - CITY.—SUTTER.—VERNON.—BOSTON.—STOCKTON.—NEW - YORK.—ALVEZO.—STANISLAUS.—SONORA.—CRESCENT CITY.—TRINIDAD. - -The growth of towns in California is so rapid, that before you can -sketch the last, a new one has sprung into existence. You go to work on -this, and dash down a few features, when another glimmers on your -vision, till at last you become like the English surgeon at the battle -of Waterloo; who began by bandaging individuals, but found the wounded -brought in so fast he declared he must splinter by the regiment. - - -SAN FRANCISCO.—This town has thrice been laid in ashes; but the young -phœnix has risen on ampler wings than those which steadied the consumed -form of its parent. It must be the great commercial emporium of -California in spite of competition, wind, and flame. Its direct -connection with the sea, its magnificent bay and internal -communications, have settled the question of its ultimate grandeur. It -may be afflicted with grog-shops and gamblers, and the mania of -speculation, but these are temporary evils which time, a higher moral -tone, and the more steady pursuits of man will remedy. Three years ago -only a dozen shanties sprinkled its sand-hills; now, even with its heart -burnt out, it looks like the skeleton of a huge city. That heart will be -reconstructed, and send the life-blood leaping through the system. - - -BENICIA.—This town on the straits of Carquinas has the advantages of a -bold shore, a quiet anchorage, and depth of water for ships of any size. -Even without being a port of entry, it must become in time a large -commercial depot. The small craft which float the waters of the Suisun, -Sacramento, and San Joaquin, and which are ill suited to the rough bay -below, will here deposit their cargoes. It has been selected as the most -feasible site for a navy yard, and the army stores are already housed on -its quay. It was first selected as the site of a city by Robert Semple, -president of the Constitution Convention, and rose rapidly into -importance under his fostering care, and the energetic measures of -Thomas O. Larkin. - - -SACRAMENTO CITY.—The site of this town on the eastern bank of the -Sacramento, at its junction with the Rio Americano, presents many -picturesque features. It is a town in the woods, with the native trees -still waving over its roofs. The sails of the shipping are inwoven with -the masses of shade, which serve as awnings. Roads diverge from it to -the mines on the North, Middle, and South Forks, Bear, Juba, and Feather -rivers. The town has been swept by one inundation from the overflow of -the Americano. It came upon the inhabitants like a thief in the night; -they had only time to jump from their beds; the roaring flood was at -their heels: some reached the shipping, and some sprung into the tops of -the trees. But a levee is now going up which will shut out the flood; -while brick and slate will ward off the flame. This place is destined to -figure among the largest towns of California. - - -SUTTER.—This town, which bears the name of the old pioneer on whose -lands it stands, is beautifully located on the Sacramento, at the head -waters of navigation. From it issue the roads leading to all the -northern mines; the site is not subject to overflow, and the country -around possesses great fertility. It has a large commercial business: -its central position must secure its prosperity. Its proprietors are -Capt. Sutter and John McDougal, lieutenant-governor of the -state—gentlemen who pursue the most liberal policy, and reap their -reward in the growth of their town. - - -VERNON.—This is the only town on Feather river, and stands at the -confluence of that stream with the Sacramento. It is above the reach of -any inundation, and commands a country of wildly varied aspect. Its -location, rather than buildings or business, invest it with interest. -Its importance is prospective; but the future is fast becoming the -present. Its projectors are Franklin Bates, E. O. Crosby, and Samuel -Norris. - - -BOSTON.—This town is located on the American Fork at its junction with -the Sacramento. The plot of the town is beautiful—its situation -agreeable. Direct roads issue from it to the placers of the Yuba, -Feather river, the North, Middle, and South forks of the Americano. Like -Sacramento City, it is located within the grant of Capt. Sutter, whose -title to the enterprising proprietors will undoubtedly be found valid. -Several buildings have been erected, which give an air of stability to -the flapping tents which shadow its avenues. - - -STOCKTON.—This flourishing town is located at the head of an arm of the -Suisun bay, and is accessible to small steamers. It stands in the centre -of a vast fertile plain, and on a position sufficiently elevated to -exempt it from inundation. It is the commercial depot for the southern -mines; the miners on the Mokelumne, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mariposa, -Mercedes, and King’s river, are supplied with provisions and clothing -from its heavy storehouses. It will yet loom largely in the map of -California. - - -NEW YORK.—This town is located on the triangle formed by the junction of -the San Joaquin river and Suisun bay, with its base resting on a broad -plain, covered with clusters of live-oak. The banks of the river and bay -are bold, and above the reach of tide and freshet. The bay is -represented on the surveys which have been made as having sufficient -depth for merchantmen of the largest class. The communication with the -sea lies through the broad strait of the Carquinas. The town will -naturally command the commerce of the San Joaquin and its numerous -tributaries. The projectors of the town are Col. Stevenson and Dr. -Parker. - - -ALVEZO.—This town is situated at the head of the great bay of San -Francisco, on the Gaudalupe, which flows through it. It is the natural -depot of the commerce which will roll in a broad exhaustless tide, -through the fertile valleys of Santa Clara and San José. It lies -directly in the route to the gold and quicksilver mines, with a climate -not surpassed by that of any locality in the northern sections of -California. The fertility of the surrounding country must ere long make -itself felt in the growth and prosperity of this town. San Francisco is -dependant on the products of its horticulture. Fortunes might be made by -any persons who would go there and devote themselves exclusively to -gardening. But it is not in man to raise cabbages in a soil that -contains gold. The proprietors of the town are J. D. Hoppe, Peter H. -Burnett, and Charles B. Marvin. - - -STANISLAUS.—This town, situated at the junction of the Stanislaus and -San Joaquin, is fast rising into consideration. It is the highest point -to which the lightest steamer can ascend, and is in the immediate -vicinity of the richest mines in California. From its storehouses -supplies are destined to flow through the whole southern mines. The -placers on the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mercedes, and King’s river must -contribute to its growing wealth. It is in the direct route from -Monterey to the mines—a route which has been surveyed in reference to a -great public road, and through which a portion of the commerce of the -Pacific will one day roll. This town was projected by Samuel Brannan, -the sagacious leader of the Mormon battalion in California. - - -SONORA and CRESCENT CITY.—These towns, perched up among the gold mines -which overlook the San Joaquin, derive their importance from no river or -bay; their resources are in the rocks and sands of the mountain freshet. -They are the miner’s home—his winter quarters—his metropolis, to which -he goes for society, recreation, repose, frolic, and fun. Through the -livelong night the rafters ring with resounding mirth, while the storm -unheeded raves without. Of all the sites for a hamlet which I have met -with in the mining region, I should prefer the one at the head of a -ravine near the sources of the Stanislaus. It is a natural amphitheatre, -throwing on the eye its sweeping wall of wild cliffs and waving shade. -From the green bosom of its arena swells a slight elevation, covered -with beautiful evergreen trees. A little rivulet leaps from a rock, and -sings in its sparkling flow the year round; while the leaves, as if in -love with the spot, whisper in the soft night-wind. Many a night have I -stood there in silent revery, watching the bright stars, the trembling -shadows of the trees, and listening to the silver lay of the streamlet. -The Coliseum, with its melancholy night-bird and solemn grandeur, can -never rival this temple of nature. - - - THE ONE MOON TOWN. - -The recent discovery of Trinidad bay, which lies about two hundred miles -north of San Francisco, will have a material effect on the local -interests of the country. It will open a new channel of commerce into -the northern mines, and render accessible the finest forests in -California. This bay, as represented, has sufficient depth and capacity -to shelter a large marine. A town has already been laid out on the curve -of its bold shore; streets, squares, and edifices have ceased to figure -on the map, and become a reality. Where but one moon since the shark and -seal plunged and played at will, freighted ships are riding at anchor; -while the indignant bear has only had time to gather up her cubs and -seek a new jungle. - -Before this sheet can get to press, there will be a daily on Trinidad -bay, with the price-current of New York and London figuring in its -columns, and an opera of Rossini singing its prelude between the reeling -anthems of the church-going bell. Why, man! you talk of the slumbers of -Rip Van Winkle, and the visions of the seven sleepers of Ephesus! Know -you not the whole world is asleep, save what wakes and works on Trinidad -bay? It takes an age in other lands to rear a city; but here, one phase -of the fickle moon, and up she comes, like Venus from the wave, or the -peak of Pico at the call of the morning star. Clear the coast with your -old dormitory hulks of slumbering ages, and let this new Trinidad launch -her keeled thunder! Her pennant unrolls itself in flame on the wind, and -her trident is tipt with the keen lightning. The great whale of the -Pacific turns here his startled gaze—plunges, and blows next half-way to -Japan. - - Hurra for Trinidad! Let nations sleep, - And empires moulder in their misty shroud; - She shakes her trident on her golden steep, - O’er waving woods, in solemn reverence bowed; - Her bright aurora throws its flashing ray - Where primal worlds in sunless darkness stray! - - A shout from those touched orbs comes rolling back, - As rose the anthem of this earth, when first - Around the night that sphered her rayless track, - The breaking morn in golden splendors burst— - The king of chaos sees the new-born light, - And, howling, plunges down the gulf of night. - -OLD AND WELL-TRIED FRIENDS. - -I must not forget in my reveries over the map marvels of the new towns, -the fireside friends of good old Monterey. Among _them_ my three years -circled their varied rounds, now stored with memories that can never -die. I must introduce them to the reader before we part, and pay them -the tribute of a farewell word. They have no splendor of outward -circumstance to stir your wonder, but hearts as true as ever throbbed in -the human breast. Here is David Spence, from the hills of Scotland, a -man of unblemished integrity and sterling sense, married to a daughter -of the late Don José Estrada, a resident of twenty-five years in -Monterey, my predecessor in the office of alcalde, and recently prefect -of the department. Here is W. P. Hartnell, from England, married into -the Noriega family, the best linguist in the country, and the government -translator, with the claims of a twenty-seven years’ residence, and a -circle of children, in which yours, my gentle reader, would only appear -as a few more added to a sweeping flock. - -Here is Don Manuel Dias, a native of Mexico, married to a sister of Mrs. -Spence, a gentleman whose urbanity and intelligence honors his origin. -Here is James McKinley, a gentleman of liberality and wealth from the -Grampian Hills, married to a daughter of a Spanish Don from the Bay of -Biscay. Here is Don Manuel Jimeno, once secretary of state, married into -the Noriega family, to a lady of sparkling wit and gentle benevolence. -Here is Milton Little, a man of mind and means, who broke into -California many years ago from the west, and whom I joined in wedlock to -a fair daughter of the empire state. Here is Don José Abrigo, blest with -wealth, enterprise, and a fine family of boys. Here is J. P. Lease, from -Missouri, long resident in California, with ample fortune and generous -heart, and whose amiable wife is the sister of Gen. Vallejo. Here is -James Watson, born on the Thames; came to Monterey twenty-five years -since, married a lady of the country, is now a heavy capitalist, with a -charity open as day. Here is Charles Walter, of German origin, a -resident of many years, married into the Estrada family, and possessed -of wealth. Here is Gov. Pulacio, from Lower California—a gentleman of -the old school—with a wife and daughter imbued with the same spirit of -refinement. Here is J. F. Dye, from our own shores, long identified with -the interests of the country, and married to one of its daughters. Here -are Messrs. Toomes & Thoms, bosom friends, partners in business, and men -of enterprise and substance. Here is James Stokes, from England, for -twenty-five years a citizen of Monterey, a merchant, farmer, and doctor, -married to a lady of the country, in whom the afflicted always find a -friend. - -Here is Señor Soveranez, whose saloon is lit by eyes bright as nuptial -tapers, and where the Castilian flows soft as if warbled by a bird. Here -is Padre Ramirez, an intelligent, liberal, and warm-hearted canon of the -Catholic church; and also the Rev. S. H. Willey, of the Protestant -persuasion, who is organizing a society, and who has the zeal and energy -to carry the enterprise through. Monterey lost one of its most cherished -ladies, when Mrs. Larkin took her departure. Here for eighteen years she -had lent a charm to its society. She was the first lady from the United -States that settled in California. Long will the good old town lament -the departure of T. H. Green. His enterprise and integrity as a -merchant, and his benevolence as a citizen, were everywhere felt. The -widow and the orphan ever found in him a generous friend. Nor must I -forget the young and gentle Saladonia, who has often hovered like a -ministering angel in the family of the poor emigrant. Nor must I pass -unheeded the grave of my revered friend Don Juan Malerine, beloved in -life, and who died - - “Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch - About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - - BRIEF NOTICES OF PERSONS WHOSE PORTRAITS EMBELLISH THIS VOLUME, AND - WHO ARE PROMINENTLY CONNECTED WITH CALIFORNIA AFFAIRS. - - - JOHN CHARLES FREMONT - -Is a native of South Carolina—was born in 1813—received his education at -Charleston College, and first evinced the vigor of his mathematical -genius in the efficient aid rendered the accomplished Nicollet in his -survey of the basin of the upper Mississippi. The importance of this -service was acknowledged by the government in his appointment as a -lieutenant in the corps of Topographical Engineers. In 1841 the war -department confided to him the interests and objects of an expedition to -the Rocky Mountains, in which he discovered and mapped the South Pass. -The scientific results of this adventure awakened in the public mind an -intense enthusiasm for a more extended exploration. In the following -year he left the frontier settlements at the head of a small party, -crossed the Rocky Mountains, discovered and surveyed the great valley of -the Salt Lake, and extended his researches into Oregon and California. -These explorations, which occupied the greater portion of two years, -were not confined to topographical questions; they embraced all the -departments of natural history, with extended meteorological -observations. They fill a volume, in which the trophies of science are -blended with the incidents of the wildest adventure. - -In 1844, the explorer left the United States again for the western -slopes of the Sierra Nevada, and had descended into California, when the -declaration of war suspended his scientific pursuits, and summoned him -to the field. He had been honored successively with the rank of captain, -major, and colonel. A battalion of riflemen enrolled themselves under -his command. Their campaign, in the winter of 1846, impressed its -intrepid spirit and heroic action on the fate of the war. Constrained by -the orders of a superior, Col. Fremont was again in the United States; -where, having declined a return of his commission, which he had adorned -with eminent service, he threw himself, with unrepressed spirit, on his -own energies, and started again for California. This was his seventh -adventure across the continent; and owing to the lateness of the season, -was attended with hardships and privations, in which many of his brave -mountaineers perished. But his force of purpose triumphed over the -elements, and carried him through. The new territory, in the vast -accessions of a rushing emigration, had suddenly risen to the dignity of -a commonwealth. A United States senator was to be chosen: it was the -highest office within the gift of the people, and they conferred it, -without distinction of party, on Col. Fremont. The decree of a military -tribunal, bound to those rigid rules of discipline which never bend to -the force of circumstance, may dispose of the parchment honors of a -commission, but the public services and private worth of the individual -must remain; the substantial benefits conferred on mankind must remain; -the path opened to the golden gates of the west must remain; the flag of -the country still fly along its fortified line, and the great tide of -emigration roll through its avenue for ages. If Humboldt be the Nestor -of scientific travellers, and Audubon the interpreter of nature, Col. -Fremont is the Pathfinder of empire. - - - WILLIAM M. GWIN - -Was born in Sumner county, Tennessee, in 1805. His father, the Rev. -James Gwin, was a distinguished divine in the Methodist Episcopal -church, and one of its founders in the West. He was for fifty years the -intimate and confidential friend of Gen. Jackson, and chaplain to his -army during the late war with England. Dr. Gwin was graduated at -Transylvania University, in Kentucky, and practised his profession, with -eminent success for several years, in his native state and Mississippi. -He relinquished his profession in 1833, and was appointed, by Gen. -Jackson, Marshal of Mississippi,—an office which he filled until after -the election of Gen. Harrison to the presidency, when he became a -candidate for congress, and was elected by a large majority. - -He was remarked, during the session, as a ready, forcible debater, and -was renominated by his district with great unanimity, but declined -running, owing to pecuniary embarrassments incurred while he held the -office of marshal, and brought about by the paper money system, which -involved Mississippi in bankruptcy, and especially the public officers, -who, like Dr. Gwin, had been induced, under the decisions of the courts, -to take this irresponsible paper in payment of executions. In 1846, Dr. -Gwin removed to New Orleans, and was soon after appointed commissioner -to superintend the erection of the custom-house in that city, destined -to be one of the largest public edifices in the country. From this -position he retired on the election of Gen. Taylor to the presidency, -and emigrated to California, where he engaged actively in organizing a -state government. He was elected a member of the convention from San -Francisco, and bore a prominent, influential part in its debates and -proceedings, which resulted in the present noble constitution. The -importance of these services were duly recognized by the people of -California, and they testified their regard and confidence in conferring -on him the dignity of a United States senator. He will have it in his -power to do much for the new state, and we feel assured she will find in -him a resolute champion of her rights. - - - THOMAS OLIVER LARKIN. - -Born in Charleston, Mass., 1803, and emigrated to California eighteen -years since. The same spirit of adventure which took him to this -country, characterized his subsequent career. He came here without -capital, and with no sources of reliance save in his own enterprise and -activity. There was then no gold out of which a fortune could be -suddenly piled, and no established channels of business through which a -man could become regularly and safely rich. But this unsettled state of -affairs was suited to the enterprising spirit of Mr. Larkin. He often -projected enterprises and achieved them, seemingly through the boldness -of the design; but there was ever behind this a restless energy that -pushed them to a successful result. Many and most of the public -improvements were planned and executed by him; the only wharf and -custom-house on the coast were erected through his activity. - -Through all the revolutions which convulsed the country, he held the -post of United States consul, and vigilantly protected our commercial -interests and the rights of our citizens. He was deeply concerned in all -the measures which at length severed California from Mexico, and loaned -his funds and credit to a large amount in raising means to meet the -sudden exigences of the war. The Californians, to cut off these -supplies, managed at last, very adroitly, to capture him, and held him -as a hostage in any important contingency. But the work had already been -measurably accomplished, and a restoration of prisoners soon followed. -Mr. Larkin early engaged in the organization of a civil government—was a -delegate from Monterey to the convention for drafting a constitution, -and impressed his practical genius on many of its provisions. He has -never been a candidate for any office, and resigned that of Navy Agent, -with which he had been honored, as soon as the condition of public -affairs would allow. His commercial enterprise and sagacity work best -where they have the most scope; they have secured to him an ample -fortune. His house has always been the home of the stranger; his -hospitalities are ever on a scale with his ample means. - - - GEORGE W. WRIGHT. - -Among the successful adventurers into California, Mr. Wright holds a -prominent place. He was born in Massachusetts in 1816, where he received -a business education, and commenced life with no capital beyond his own -enterprise and sagacity. Through these he won his way to a partnership -in a large commercial house, extensively engaged in the whaling service -and its correlative branches of trade. Without disturbing these -relations, he determined to push his adventures into California, where -he arrived soon after the discovery of the _placers_, and engaged in the -commerce of the country. Success and a rapid accumulation of capital -attended his efforts. A large banking-house at San Francisco was -proposed, and he became the leading partner. This house has withstood -all the shocks which have carried ruin to many others, and maintained -its credit unshaken. At the adoption of the constitution, two members of -Congress were to be chosen, and Mr. Wright was elected to this honorable -position. This token of confidence and regard was the more to be -appreciated, as it resulted from no constrained party organization, but -the decided preference of the citizens, expressed at the ballot-box. - -Mr. Wright was the first to collect specimens of the gold-bearing -quartz. He traversed the foot hills of the Sierra Nevada for this -purpose, and underwent many hardships and perils. He was often for days -on the very shortest allowance, and obliged to share even this with his -famished mule. The quartz frequently seam the loftiest ridges, and can -be reached only through the most exhausting fatigue. None but those of -iron muscles can scale the soaring steep, or dislodge, with steady hand -and head, the treasured vein in the giddy verge. Against these obstacles -Mr. Wright persevered, and gathered a great variety of specimens, -curious in themselves and often rich, but valued mainly as indications -of the wealth of the quartz, and as leading-clues to their localities. -They will serve to stimulate the exertions and guide the footsteps of -the subsequent miner. They are not stowed away as secrets for the -exclusive benefit of the discoverer: the information they impart is free -to all. The only danger lies in conclusions too glowing for the reality, -and those hasty adventures in which anticipation overleaps the laborious -process. The specimens are genuine, and have been pronounced at the mint -the richest that have been tested. The _extent_ to which the -gold-bearing quartz prevails can be thoroughly known only in the results -of mining operations. It has been found in different localities between -Feather river and the Mariposa; and if it approaches in value the most -ordinary specimens gathered by Mr. Wright and myself, will munificently -reward the labors of the miner, and will upset all geological deductions -connected with gold-bearing quartz in other countries. - - - JACOB R. SNYDER. - -Born in Philadelphia, 1813, emigrated to the west in 1834, and has been -for the last five years a citizen of California. At the commencement of -hostilities in that country, Com. Stockton, then in command of the land -and naval forces, confided to him the organization of an artillery -corps, and subsequently conferred on him the appointment of -quarter-master to the battalion of mounted riflemen under Col. Fremont, -which office he continued to fill during the war. At the restoration of -peace, Mr. Snyder was appointed by Governor Mason surveyor for the -middle department of California, where his activity and science were -called into play in the settlement of many questions of disputed -boundary in land titles. In the organization of a civil government, he -was elected delegate from Sacramento district to the convention, and was -one of the committee for drafting the constitution. His remarks in the -convention are characterized for their pertinency, brevity, and sound -sense. He is a good specimen of that versatility which belongs to the -“universal nation.” Fond of adventure, and with resources in himself to -meet all its exigencies,—partial to new positions, new duties, and -responsibilities, and yet perfectly at home in each—ever with some -beckoning object ahead, which, when attained, is to be relinquished for -one of still greater magnitude,—and all this with a sound judgment, -inflexible integrity, and unostentatious generosity. He was one of the -original projectors of Sacramento City, and is still largely concerned -in its prosperity. His liberal policy, sustained by that of his -enterprising, intelligent partner, Major Reading, is exhibited in the -ample reservations which have been made for churches, school-houses, and -public squares. - - - CAPT. JOHN A. SUTTER. - -The leading features of interest in the adventurous life of Capt. Sutter -are connected with California affairs. He was born in Switzerland near -the close of the last century, and early relinquished its glaciers and -lakes for the sunny fields of France. His love of adventure turned his -attention to the camp, where his gallant conduct soon secured him an -honorable commission. But the wars of the continent being over, he -emigrated to the United States, and having resided several years in -Missouri, turned his roving eye to the shores of the Pacific. - -Through a series of adventures, which seem more like fictions than -realities, he at length reached the valley of the Sacramento, where he -procured from the government the grant of a large tract of land. The -country around was in the possession of wild Indians, some of whom he -conciliated, and through their labors constructed a fort to protect -himself from the rest. His influence over these children of the forest -was such that in a few years he had over a thousand of their number at -work on his farm. He was upright in all his dealings with them, and paid -each as punctually as if he had been a king. His place, to which he gave -the name of New Helvetia, was for years the emigrant’s goal,—the land of -promise, which glimmered in warm light through his cold mountain dream. -_There_ he was sure of a cordial welcome, and a hospitality that knew no -bounds; no matter from what clime he came, or what were his credentials; -it was enough for his generous host to know that he was an adventurer, -poor in all things save a manly purpose. But often the bounty of Capt. -Sutter has gone forth to meet the emigrant; it was his sympathy and -active benevolence that mainly rescued the emigrants of forty-six from -starvation in the California mountains. When his relief reached them, -their last animals had been killed and consumed for food, their last -pound of provisions, and their last means of subsistence had given out; -they were embayed in depths of snow which baffled their exhausted -strength, and hunger hung in horror over the dead. - -It was on the lands of Capt. Sutter that gold was first discovered; the -cut of a mill-race revealed the entrancing treasure; but all were -welcome to the results; no spirit of monopoly obstructed the digger, or -enriched the proprietor; fortunes went freely to the pockets of those -who drove the spade and turned the bowl. When a civil organization was -proposed, the generous captain was deputed by the electors in his -district to represent them in the convention. He there favored all -measures calculated to secure the interests of the emigrants, and -develop the resources of the country. When he put his own signature to -the constitution, he dropped the pen in very gladness; the light of -other days encircled his spirit, he was a child again; all felt the -tears which filled the eyes of the old pioneer, and wept in joyous -sympathy with their source. The work was done, and California was -henceforth to revolve among the glorious orbs of the republic! - - - DON MARIANO GUADALUPE VALLEJO. - -This distinguished Californian was born in Monterey, 1817; his father -held a military command under the crown of Spain, and subsequently under -the Mexican republic; he lived to the advanced age of 95, and saw his -children allied in marriage to the most influential families in the -province. Don Mariano entered the service of the government as a cadet; -rose rapidly to a post of commanding influence, but always evinced a -repugnance to Mexican rule. In 1837, assisted by his nephew, Alverado, -he succeeded in driving the satellites of that ill-starred republic out -of the country, and in the organization of the new government, was -honored with the post of commandante-general. - -When the United States flag was raised, Gen. Vallejo saw in it the -opportunity of securing the permanent tranquillity and prosperity of -California: a thousand of his noble horses went under the saddles of our -mounted riflemen. The war over, he was first and foremost in measures -for a civil organization, and represented the district of Sonoma in the -convention for drafting a constitution. His liberal views and sound -policy pervade every provision of the instrument. He was subsequently -elected a senator to the state legislature, and might have been a -successful candidate for any office within the gift of the people. He is -a large landed proprietor; his cattle are on a hundred hills, and his -horses in as many vales; while a thousand Indians, whom he has won from -savage life, cultivate his fields, and garner his grains. His munificent -liberality and profound interest in the cause of education, and the -claims of humanity, may be gathered from the following statement -contained in the report of the committee of the California legislature -on public buildings and grounds, in relation to the permanent location -of the seat of government. This committee say: - - Gen. Vallejo, a native of California, and now a member of the - legislature, offers a site lying upon the Straits of Carquinas and - Napa river, where he proposes to lay out the capital to be called - Eureka, or such other name as the legislature may suggest. He - proposes— - - 1st. That said permanent seat of government may be laid out in such - form as five Commissioners may direct, three of whom shall be - appointed by the legislature, and two by himself. - - 2d. That he proposes to grant to the state, for the following - purposes, free of cost: - - Acres. - Capitol and grounds 20 - Governor’s house and grounds 10 - Offices of Treasurer, Comptroller, Secretary of State, &c. 5 - State Library and Translator’s office 1 - Orphan’s Asylum 20 - Male Charity Hospital 10 - Female Charity Hospital 10 - Asylum for the Blind 4 - Deaf and Dumb Asylum 4 - Lunatic Asylum 20 - Four Common Schools 8 - State University 20 - State Botanical Garden 4 - State Penitentiary 20 - - Also, your memorialist proposes to donate and pay over to the state, - within two years after the acceptance of his propositions, the - following sums of money, for the faithful payment of which he proposes - to give to the state ample security. - - For building State Capitol $125,000 - Furnishing the same 10,000 - Building Governor’s House 10,000 - Furnishing the same 5,000 - State Library and Translator’s Office 5,000 - State Library. 5,000 - For the building of the Offices of Secretary of State, - Comptroller, Attorney-General, Surveyor-General, and - Treasurer, should the Commissioners deem it proper to - separate them from the State House 20,000 - Building Orphan’s Asylum 20,000 - Building Female Charity Hospital 20,000 - Building Male Charity Hospital 20,000 - Building Asylum for Blind 20,000 - Building Deaf and Dumb Asylum 20,000 - Building State University 20,000 - For University Library 10,000 - Scientific Apparatus therefor 5,000 - Chemical Laboratory therefor 3,000 - Mineral Cabinet therefor 3,000 - Four Common School Edifices 10,000 - Purchasing Books for same 5,000 - For the Building of a Lunatic Asylum 20,000 - For a State Penitentiary 20,000 - For a State Botanical Collection 3,000 - - In accordance with another proposition of Gen. Vallejo, the committee - further report in favor of submitting this offer to the acceptance of - the people, at the next general election. The report adds: - - “Your committee cannot dwell with too much warmth upon the magnificent - propositions contained in the memorial of Gen. Vallejo. They breathe - throughout the spirit of an enlarged mind, and a sincere public - benefactor, for which he deserves the thanks of this body, and the - gratitude of California. Such a proposition looks more like the legacy - of a prince to his people, than the free donation of a private planter - to a great state.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - - THE MISSION ESTABLISHMENTS IN CALIFORNIA.—THEIR ORIGIN, OBJECTS, - LOCALITIES, LANDS, REVENUES, OVERTHROW. - -The missions of California are the most prominent features in her -history. They were established to propagate the Roman faith, and extend -the domain of the Spanish crown. They contemplated the conversion of the -untutored natives, and a permanent possession of the soil. They were an -extension of the same system which, half a century previous, had -achieved such signal triumphs on the peninsula and through the northern -provinces of Mexico. The founders were men of unwearied zeal and heroic -action; their enterprise, fortitude, and unshaken purpose might rouse -all the slumbering strings of the religious minstrel. - -In Alta California these missions formed a religious cordon the entire -extent of the coast. They were reared at intervals of twelve or fourteen -leagues in all the great fertile valleys opening on the sea. The first -was founded in 1769; others followed fast, and before the close of the -century the whole twenty were in effective operation. Each establishment -contained within itself the elements of its strength, the sources of its -aggrandizement. It embraced a massive church, garnished with costly -plate; dwellings, storehouses, and workshops, suited to the wants of a -growing colony; broad lands, encircling meadows, forests, streams, -orchards, and cultured fields, with cattle, sheep, and horses, grazing -on a “thousand hills,” and game in every glade; and above all, a faith -that could scoop up whole tribes of savages, dazzling them with the -symbols of religion, and impressing them with the conviction that -submission to the padres was obedience to God. - -These vast establishments absorbed the lands, capital, and business of -the country; shut out emigration, suppressed enterprise, and moulded -every interest into an implement of ecclesiastical sway. In 1833, the -supreme government of Mexico issued a decree which converted them into -civil institutions, subject to the control of the state. The consequence -was, the padres lost their power, and with that departed the enterprise -and wealth of their establishments. The civil administrators plundered -them of their stock, the governors granted to favorites sections of -their lands, till, with few exceptions, only the huge buildings remain. -Their localities will serve as important guides to emigrants in quest of -lands adapted to pasturage and agriculture, and their statistics will -show, to some extent, the productive forces of the soil. These have been -gathered, with some pains, from the archives of each mission, and are -grouped for the first time in these pages. They are like the missions -themselves—skeletons. California, though seemingly young, is piled with -the wrecks of the past; around the stately ruin flits the shade of the -padre; his warm welcome to streaming guests still lingers in the hall; -and the loud mirth of the festive crowds still echoes in the darkened -arches. But all these good olden times are passed—their glorious -realities are gone—like the sound and sunlit splendors of the wave -dashed and broken on the remorseless rock. - - - MISSION OF DOLLORES. - -This mission is situated on the south side of the bay of San Francisco, -two miles from the town. Its lands were forty leagues in circumference. -Its stock, in 1825, consisted of 76,000 head of cattle, 950 tame horses, -2000 breeding-mares, 84 stud of choice breed, 820 mules, 79,000 sheep, -2000 hogs, 456 yoke of working-oxen, 18,000 bushels of wheat and barley, -$35,000 in merchandise, and $25,000 in specie. It was secularized in -1834 by order of Gen. Figueroa, and soon became a wreck. The walls of -the huge church only remain. Little did the good padre who reared them -dream of the great town that was to rise in their shadows! - - - MISSION OF SANTA CLARA. - -This mission is situated in the bosom of the great valley that bears its -name, six miles from the embarcadero which strands the upper bend of the -great bay of San Francisco. Around it lie the richest lands in -California—once its own domain. In 1823 it branded, as the increase of -one year, 22,400 calves. It owned 74,280 head of full-grown cattle, 407 -yoke of working-oxen, 82,540 sheep, 1890 trained horses, 4235 mares, 725 -mules, 1000 hogs, and $120,000 in goods. The church is a gigantic pile, -and was once adorned with ornaments of massive silver. The property was -secularized in 1834 by order of Gen. Figueroa, when the frolicking -citizens of the Pueblo de San José began to revel on its ruins. It has -still a fine vineyard, where the grape reels and the pear mellows. - - - MISSION OF SAN JOSÉ. - -This mission was founded in 1797, fifteen miles from the town which -bears its name, and at the terminus of a valley unrivalled in fertility. -It supplied the Russian Company with grain, who sent yearly several -large ships for stores for their northern settlements. It is stated, in -the archives of this mission, that the mayordomo gathered 8,600 bushels -of wheat from 80 bushels sown; and the following year, from the grain -which fell at the time of the first harvest, 5200 bushels! The priest -told me that Julius Cæsar deposited in the temple of Ceres 362 kernels -of wheat, as the largest yield of any one kernel in the Roman empire; -and that he had gathered and counted, from one kernel sown at this -mission, 365—beating Rom in three kernels! This mission had, in 1825, -3000 Indians, 62,000 head of cattle, 840 tame horses, 1500 mares, 420 -mules, 310 yoke of oxen, and 62,000 sheep It has still a vineyard, in -which large quantities of luscious grapes and pears are raised. It was -secularized in 1834; and the old church bell, as if indignant at the -change, has plunged from its chiming tower. - - - MISSION OF SAN JUAN BOUTISTA. - -This mission looms over a rich valley, ten leagues from Monterey—founded -1794. Its lands swept the broad interval and adjacent hills. In 1820 it -owned 43,870 head of cattle, 1360 tame horses, 4870 mares, colts, and -fillies. It had seven sheep-farms, containing 69,530 sheep; while the -Indians attached to the mission drove 321 yoke of working-oxen. Its -storehouse contained $75,000 in goods and $20,000 in specie. This -mission was secularized in 1834; its cattle slaughtered for their hides -and tallow, its sheep left to the wolves, its horses taken by the -dandies, its Indians left to hunt acorns, while the wind sighs over the -grave of its last padre. - - - MISSION OF SAN CARLOS. - -This mission, founded 1770, stands in the Carmel valley, three miles -from Monterey. Through its ample lands flows a beautiful stream of -water, which every governor of the country, for the last thirty years, -has purposed conducting to the metropolis. Its gardens supply the -vegetable market of Monterey. Its pears are extremely rich in flavor. In -its soil were raised, in 1826, the first potatoes cultivated in -California. So little did the presiding padre think of this strange -vegetable, he allowed the Indians to raise and sell them to the whalers -that visited Monterey, without disturbing their profits. He was -satisfied if the Indians would give him one salmon in ten out of the -hundreds they speared in the stream which swept past his door. This -mission, in 1825, branded 2300 calves; had 87,600 head of cattle, 1800 -horses and mares, 365 yoke of oxen, nine sheep-farms, with an average of -about 6,000 sheep on each, a large assortment of merchandise, and -$40,000 in specie, which was buried on the report of a piratical cruiser -on the coast. It was secularized in 1835. The church remains; but the -only being I found in it was a large white owl, who seemed to mourn its -fall. - - - MISSION OF SANTA CRUZ. - -This mission stands near the coast on the northern side of the bay of -Monterey, in a tract of land remarkable for its agricultural capacities, -which it developed in the richest harvests. In 1830 this mission owned -all the lands now cultivated or claimed by the farmers of Santa Cruz. It -had 42,800 head of cattle, 3200 horses and mares, 72,500 sheep, 200 -mules, large herds of swine, a spacious church, garnished with $25,000 -worth of silver plate. It was secularized in 1834 by order of Gen. -Figueroa, and shared the fate of its Carmel sister. Only one padre -lingers on the premises, and he seems the last of a perished race. - - - MISSION OF SOLEDAD. - -This mission is situated fifteen leagues southwest of Monterey, in a -fertile plain, known by the name of the “llano del rey.” The priest was -an indefatigable agriculturist. To obviate the summer drought, he -constructed, through the labor of his Indians, an aqueduct extending -fifteen miles, by which he could water twenty thousand acres of land. In -1826 this mission owned about 36,000 head of cattle, and a greater -number of horses and mares than any other mission in the country. So -great was the reproduction of these animals, they were given away to -preserve the pasturage for cattle and sheep. It had about 70,000 sheep, -and 300 yoke of tame oxen. In 1819 the mayordomo of this mission -gathered 3400 bushels of wheat from 38 bushels sown. It has still -standing about a thousand fruit trees, which still bear their mellow -harvests; but its secularization has been followed by decay and ruin. - - - MISSION OF SAN ANTONIO. - -This mission is situated twelve leagues south of Soledad, on the border -of an inland stream, upon which it has conferred its name. The buildings -were inclosed in a square, twelve hundred feet on each side, and walled -with adobes. Its lands were forty-eight leagues in circumference, -including seven farms, with a convenient house and chapel attached to -each. The stream was conducted in paved trenches twenty miles for -purposes of irrigation: large crops rewarded the husbandry of the -padres. In 1822 this mission owned 52,800 head of cattle, 1800 tame -horses, 3000 mares, 500 yoke of working-oxen, 600 mules, 48,000 sheep, -and 1000 swine. The climate here is cold in winter, and intensely hot in -summer. This mission, on its secularization, fell into the hands of an -administrator, who neglected its farms, drove off its cattle, and left -its poor Indians to starve. - - - MISSION OF SAN MIGUEL. - -This inland mission is situated sixteen leagues south of San Antonio, on -a barren elevation; but the lands attached to it sweep a circuit of -sixty leagues, and embrace some of the finest tracts for agriculture. Of -the sethe Estella tract is one; its fertility is enough to make a New -England plough jump out of its rocks; and a hundred emigrants will yet -squat in its green bosom, and set the wild Indians and their war-whoop -at defiance. In 1822 this mission owned 91,000 head of cattle, 1100 tame -horses, 3000 mares, 2000 mules, 170 yoke of working-oxen, and 47,000 -sheep. The mules were used in packing the products of the mission to -Monterey, and bringing back drygoods, groceries, and the implements of -husbandry. But now the Indian neophytes are gone, the padres have -departed, and the old church only remains to interpret the past. - - - MISSION OF SAN LUIS OBISPO. - -This mission stands fourteen leagues southeast of San Miguel, and within -three of the coast. It has always been considered one of the richest -missions in California. The presiding priest, Luis Martinez, was a man -of comprehensive purpose and indomitable force. His mission grant -covered an immense tract of the richest lands on the seaboard. Every -mountain stream was made to subserve the purposes of irrigation. He -planted the cotton-tree, the lime, and a grove of olives, which still -shower their abundant harvests on the tables of the Californians. He -built a launch that run to Santa Barbara, trained his Indians to kill -the otter, and often received thirty and forty skins a week from his -children of the bow. His storehouse at Santa Margarita, with its high -adobe walls, was one hundred and ninety feet long, and well stowed with -grain. His table was loaded with the choicest game and richest wines; -his apartments for guests might have served the hospitable intentions of -a prince. He had 87,000 head of grown cattle, 2000 tame horses, 3500 -mares, 3700 mules, eight sheep-farms, averaging 9000 sheep to each farm, -and the broad Tulare valley, in which his Indians could capture any -number of wild horses. The mayordomo of this mission in 1827, scattered -on the ground, without having first ploughed it, 120 bushels of wheat, -and then scratched it in with things called harrows, and harvested from -the same over 7000 bushels. This was a lazy experiment, but shows what -the land may yield when activity shall take the place of indolence. -Father Martinez returned to Spain, taking with him $100,000 as the -fruits of his mission enterprise. On the secularization of the mission -in 1834, the property fell a prey to state exigency, and private -rapacity A gloomy wreck of grandeur only remains. - - - MISSION OF LA PURISIMA. - -This mission is located eighteen leagues south of San Luis, at the base -of a mountain spur, in the coast range; its lands covered about thirteen -hundred square miles, and were at one time so filled with wild cattle, -the presiding priest granted permits to any person who desired to kill -them for their hides and tallow, the meat being thrown away. Thousands -in this shape fell under the lasso and knife, and still the mission -numbered in 1830 over 40,000 head of cattle sufficiently domesticated to -be corralled, 300 yoke of working-oxen, 2600 tame horses, 4000 mares, -30,000 sheep, and 5000 swine, which were raised for their lard—no one -eating the meat. The horses on this mission were celebrated for their -beauty and speed; they performed feats under the saddle worthy of the -most brilliant page in the register of the turf. But now the steed and -his rider are gone, and the willow sighs over the mouldering ruin. - - - MISSION OF SANTA INEZ. - -This mission is seven leagues to the southward of La Purisima, and -thirteen north of Santa Barbara. Its lands were more circumscribed than -those of other missions; still it had vast herds of cattle and sheep, -and its horses vied in beauty and strength with those of its sister -missions. Its property, in 1823, was valued at $800,000. A portion of -its lands remain unalienated, and must be held for the benefit of its -Indian neophytes, or accrue to the public domain. The last government -decree left the whole in the hands of an administrator, who thought more -of his own revenues than the claims of the poor Indians whom law had -betrayed. - - - MISSION OF SANTA BARBARA. - -This mission is twelve leagues south of Santa Inez. Between the two a -steep mountain range shoulders its way to the sea. No wheeled vehicle -has ever been driven over it, except that which transported the -field-piece attached to Col. Fremont’s battalion. The mission being near -the beautiful town of Santa Barbara, its profuse hospitality contributed -largely to the social pleasures of the citizens. Its vintage never -failed, and its friendly fires ever burnt bright; many a gay merrianda -has kindled the eye of beauty in its soft shade. The main building is -elaborately finished for California. The lands of the mission embraced -many leagues. In 1828 it had 40,000 head of cattle, 1000 horses, 2000 -mares, 80 yoke of oxen, 600 mules, and 20,000 sheep. It is now under a -civil administrator, and a portion of its lands still remain vested in -their original object. Around this mission emigrants will ere long -settle in great numbers, and devote themselves to agriculture and the -cultivation of grapes, olives, figs, for which the climate is peculiarly -adapted. - - - MISSION OF SAN BUENAVENTURA. - -This mission is situated about nine leagues south of Santa Barbara, near -the seaboard. Its lands covered an area of fifteen hundred square miles, -of which two hundred are arable land. In 1825 it owned 37,000 head of -cattle, 600 riding horses, 1300 mares, 200 yoke of working-oxen, 500 -mules, 30,000 sheep, 200 goats, 2000 swine, a thrifty orchard, two rich -vineyards, $35,000 in foreign goods, $27,000 in specie, with church -ornaments and clothing valued at $61,000. It was secularized in 1835, -and has since been under a civil administrator, but all its wealth soon -became a wreck. A small portion of its lands remain, and will tempt the -horticultural emigrant to its fertile bosom. - - - MISSION OF SAN FERNANDO. - -This mission, founded 1797, is situated about sixteen leagues south of -San Buenaventura, in the midst of a beautiful plain, and has always been -celebrated for the superior quality of the brandy distilled from its -grapes. In 1826 it owned 56,000 head of cattle, 1500 horses and mares, -200 mules, 400 yoke of working-oxen, 64,000 sheep, and 2000 swine. It -had in its stores about $50,000 in merchandise, $90,000 in specie; its -vineyards yielded annually about 2000 gallons of brandy and as many of -wine. Its secularization was followed by the dispersion of its Indians -and ruin of its property. The hills, at the foot of which this mission -stands, have, within the last ten years, produced considerable -quantities of gold. One house exported about $30,000 of it. This was the -first gold discovered in California, and the discovery was made three or -four years previous to that on the American Fork. The marvel is the -search for it did not extend further. - - - MISSION OF SAN GABRIEL. - -This mission, located a little below los Angeles, was founded in 1771, -and for several years led the others in enterprise and wealth. Its lands -cover one of the most charming intervals in California; the soil and -climate are both well adapted to fruit. In its gardens bloomed oranges, -citrons, limes, apples, pears, peaches, pomegranates, figs, and grapes -in great abundance. From the latter were made annually from four to six -hundred barrels of wine, and two hundred of brandy, the sale of which -produced an income of more than $12,000. In 1829 it had 70,000 head of -cattle, 1200 horses, 3000 mares, 400 mules, 120 yoke of working-oxen, -and 54,000 sheep. The charming rancho of Santa Anita belongs to this -mission; it is situated on a gentle acclivity, where fruit trees and -flowers scatter their perfume; while a clear lake lies calmly in front, -to which the leaping rivulets rush in glee. Here the emigrant will find -more charms in the landscape than he has left behind, and a more balmy -air than he ever yet inhaled. - - - MISSION OF SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO. - -This mission, situated eighteen leagues south of San Gabriel, was -founded in 1776, and was for many years one of the most opulent in the -country. Its lands extended fifteen leagues along the seaboard, and back -to the mountains, where they swept over many ravines of fertile soil and -sequestering shade. Through these roamed vast herds of cattle, sheep, -and horses; while the sickle, pruning-knife, and shuttle gleamed in the -dexterous hand of the domestic Indian. The earthquake of 1812 threw down -the heavy stone church, as if in omen of the disasters which have since -befallen the mission. The cattle have gone to the shambles, the Indians -are in exile, the mass is over, and the shuttle at rest. - - - MISSION OF SAN LUIS REY. - -This mission, located near the sea, and twelve leagues south of San -Juan, was founded in 1798 by padre Peyri, who had devoted himself for -years to the improvement of the Indians. The buildings occupy a large -square, in the centre of which a fountain still plays; along the front -runs a corridor, supported by thirty-two arches, ornamented with -latticed railings; while the interior is divided into apartments suited -to the domestic economy of a large establishment. Here the wool of the -sheep which grazed on the hills around, was woven into blankets, and -coarse apparel for the Indians, while the furrowed field waved for miles -under the golden grain. The reeling grape, the blushing peach, the -yellow orange, the mellow pear, and luscious melon filled the garden, -and, loaded the wings of the zephyr with perfume. In 1826 it had three -thousand Indians, 70,000 head of cattle, 2000 horses, 140 yoke of tame -oxen, 300 mules, 68,000 sheep, and a tract of land, around half of which -you could not gallop between sun and sun. Its massive stone church still -remains, and the remnants of its greatness are now in the hands of an -administrator who little heeds the object which animated its founder. - - - MISSION OF SAN DIEGO. - -This mission, situated fourteen leagues south of San Luis Rey, and near -the town that bears its name, was founded in 1769 by padre Junipero -Lerra, and was the first established in Alta California. Its possessions -covered the whole tract of land which circles for leagues around the -beautiful bay upon which its green hills look. Here the first cattle -were corralled, the first sheep sheared, the first field furrowed, the -first vineyard planted, and the first church bell rung. The Indian heard -in this strange sound the invoking voice of his God, and knelt -reverently to the earth. The success of this mission paved the way for -the establishment of others, till the whole coast was sprinkled with -their churches, and every green glade filled with their wild converts -and lowing herds. But the padres and their neophytes are gone, and all -the memorials that remain are a cumbrous ruin. Gigantic skeletons of -things that were! - - - THE RAILROAD TO CALIFORNIA. - -The facilities of social and commercial intercourse between our Atlantic -and Pacific borders, yet to be created, present a problem of great -practical importance. The present route, _via_ Chagres and Panama, may -be regarded as a necessity to be superseded as soon as practicable, by a -railroad directly across the continent, within our own jurisdiction. -Besides the formidable political objections to being dependent on -foreign powers for a connection between our remotest and most important -commercial points, the distance, _via_ Chagres and Panama, or by any -railroad or canal across the Isthmus yet to be made, in connection with -the effects of a hot climate on animal and vegetable products, as -subjects of trade between our Atlantic and Pacific coasts, present most -insuperable obstacles to a permanent reliance on that route. It is now -ascertained, that instead of thirty days between New York and San -Francisco, or forty days to the mouth of the Columbia river by steam, or -three to six months by sailing craft, either of these points may be -reached in seven to eight days by railroad direct, avoiding altogether -the deleterious effects of climate on articles of trade, as well as on -health and life. These two considerations, so potent and overruling in -commercial intercourse, will undoubtedly prove paramount to all -antagonistic interests, and the railroad, directly across, may be -regarded as already decided by the demands of trade between these remote -parts of our present extended domain. - -But what shall be the plan, Mr. Whitney’s or a government enterprise? If -the government undertake it, the chances are a thousand to one, that, -like the Cumberland road, it will be broken down by party strifes. -Neither of the two great parties of the country would, in any -probability, risk the responsibility of taking it on its shoulders as a -government work. Shall it, then, be done by a corporate company, with an -adequate loan of public credit, as has been proposed? Besides other -insuperable objections to a plan of this kind, of a party political -character, it must be seen, that all transport on a road built on this -plan, must pay a toll to satisfy the interest of the capital invested; -whereas, on the Whitney plan, no toll will be exacted, except to keep -the road and its machinery in repair. This difference, in its operation -on trade and commerce, will be immense, sufficient, as any one may see, -to decide the question at once and forever between the two plans. The -company proposed will have to _borrow_ its capital, the interest of -which must be provided for by tolls. This tax on trade and intercourse -will necessarily prevent that grand movement of commercial exchanges -between the Atlantic and Pacific states, between the United States and -Asia, and between Europe and Asia, which is the great object of the -enterprise. But the Whitney plan does not borrow, but _creates_, by its -own progress, out of the increased value of the lands through which it -passes, the capital required to build the road; and thus dispensing with -all tolls to pay for the use of capital, it will invite and secure the -passage on this line of the great bulk of commerce around the entire -globe, and between the great masses of the industrial and producing -portions of the human family, which, as will be seen, lie on one great -belt of the earth, demanding precisely the direct and cheap channel of -intercommunication here proposed, instead of the circuitous, long, and -expensive routes of commerce heretofore used. - -Moreover, on the company plan, the increased value of the lands on the -route, will all go to the corporation; whereas, on the Whitney plan, it -will go to the people of the United States, whose property it is, and to -the benefit of that trade and commerce which it sets in motion. - -The Whitney plan, once executed, will merge in one the interests of our -population on the Pacific slope of this continent and those of our -population on the Atlantic slope, and by that means they will remain one -forever. But the failure of this enterprise, by the neglect of Congress -to authorize it, would make the interests of these two vast regions -forever independent of and opposed to each other. Such a dereliction of -duty, so apparent, would ere long, as a natural if not necessary -consequence, create an independent nation on the Pacific. - - - THE END. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. P. 206, changed “buck was not be captured” to “buck was not to be - captured”. - 2. P. 263, changed “flea is not be trifled with” to “flea is not to be - trifled with”. - 3. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in - spelling. - 4. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - 5. Portraits of Hon. Wm. M. Gwin and Jacob R. Snyder are not present. - 6. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - 7. 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