very probably contain gold. At the lower end of the valley the Sierras are six or seven miles apart, but the ranges gradually approaching each other, meet at the upper end, a bold, well-timbered, serrated mountain lying directly across it, and terminating the prospect in that direction. In the plain, at the foot of this mountain, are the Aguas Calientes,' the most famous of the many hot springs in California, which possess powerful medicinal properties. The soil is of almost incredible fertility, the yield of wheat being as high as a hundred fold, while corn and vegetables of all kinds, including the finest potatoes I ever saw, flourish most luxuriantly. The fruits of the temperate zone thrive here side by side with those of the tropics. Peaches, pears, apples, melons of all kinds, and rich luscious grapes, may be seen growing in the same garden with sugar cane, dates, figs, and bananas, leaving no room for doubt that all the other productions of tropical climates would, if introduced, flourish equally well. There is reason to believe that California will hereafter be dependent on no other country for the necessaries of life. She can grow her own tea, coffee, rice, vegetables and breadstuffs; and not only grow, but manufacture, her own wool, cotton, hemp, and flax. Her supplies of animal food are boundless, and the salt is at band to preserve them. Indeed, it is difficult to name any product of the earth, whether it be to eat, drink, or wear, which California cannot yield, while her mineral wealth excites the astonishment of the world. The Napa Valley early attracted the notice of the first settlers on the north side of the bay, and was among the first grants made by the Mexican governors. The best lands, uniting every advantage. such as grazing, fertility, easy transit by laud or water to market, fresh water, and a healthy and pleasant situation, are now taken up, the owners being Mr Fowler, Dr. Bale, Mr. Yount, (owner of Caymus,') Don Salvador Vallejo, (owner of Napa' and 'Los Francas',) Senor Higuera, and Don Gaetano Xuares, (owner of Toluca.') The ordinary Spanish and Mexican measure of land is by the square league, a single league being equal to about five thousand acres. The lands of the Napa Valley are granted in tracts varying from one to four square leagues, the ranchos being wider or narrower according to the varying spaces between the Sierras. Don Salvador Vallejo is the largest proprietor, owning two adjoining estates, which make together six square leagues, a snug little farm of thirty thousand acres of the best land in the world. The climate is a perpetual summer, and the atmosphere is not obscured by the neblina,' (fog,) which prevail nearer the sea. In the rainy season (it were treason against nature to call it winter) the rushing and picturesque cataracts descend from the Sierras on either side, over beds dry at all other times of the year, swelling the river Napa to its fullest dimensions. The exquisite views which abound in every direction, the complete seclusion of the spot, bounded at the broader end by the waters of the bay, and at every other point by jagged mountain crags, realize the idea of a Happy Valley,' divested of the inconveniences attached to that inhabited by the Prince of Abyssinia. It is a characteristic of this neighborhood, that the sides of the Sierras abound with elevated table-lands, which are several degrees cooler than the plain, and are admirably adapted for sheep farms. The large estates will gradually be divided, and even before I left California, some of the ranchos in the Napa Valley had been sub-divided into smaller farms, to meet the wants of emigrants from the United States."

Nearly all the land in this province is occupied by individuals who possess grants of tracts as large as eleven square leagues each, from the California authorities, acting under the colonization laws of the Republic of Mexico. These enactments appear for the most part to be transcripts of old Spanish laws, framed to encourage the colonization of remote districts of the new world. Most of the grants contain clauses restricting alienation or incumbrance; but these restraints are practically inoperative. The large tracts of land held under them are appropriated almost altogether to grazing, cattle-breeding, and horse-raising, for which they

are admirably adapted. The ingress of immigrants has caused the purchase of considerable quantities of lands from the holders of these grants, and although the failure of the bill before the last Congress, to extend the United States laws over California, has left the most rapidly settling portion of the public domain without the jurisdiction of the land office, the regular titles from the Mexican government will not be disturbed. The raising of cattle for hides and tallow, which have hitherto been the staple exports of California, and mostly monopolised by Boston houses, is the chief occupation of the ranchero. The beef is dried for the "home market.” The increase of cattle, when well attended to, is estimated at an average of 30 per cent. That is to say, 100 head double themselves in three years, at the end of which time the first year's calves become productive. There are instances of a nuch higher rate of production, even as great as 50 to 70 per cent. A league of land is sufficient for the support of 1,000 head of cattle, besides horses, sheep, and hogs. After the third year, from such a stock, there may be killed annually 300 head, of which the hides and tallow are worth $10 each. The work of the ranchos is performed by Indians, in a state of quasi-slavery, receiving moderate wages in merchandize, something in the manner of the fellahs of Egypt, under Mehemet Ali. In 1831, the Catholic missions which had been settled by the Society of Jesus, and which had been productive of much good among the poor Indians, were secularised and suppressed. At that time California was supposed to contain 4,500 whites and about 50,000 Indians attached to the mission. These formed but a small proportion of the whole number of the Indians. Civilization, with small pox and other diseases had rapidly thinned their numbers, yet the aggregate is now estimated at 60,000. The larger portion of these Indians are the servants of the rancheros, and the manner of recruiting the numbers of the servants may have been the model proposed for the supplying of the British West India Islands with voluntary laborers from the coast of Africa.

"The Californians often went on a foray in quest of servants, and this species of kidnapping, practised up to the time the United States acquired possession, is one great reason why the Indians hate the rancheros. A number of these hijos del pais,' desiring servants, or farm hands, would club together, being well armed and mounted, and attended by their allies, the Christiano' Indians, who, like all mercenary apostates, love to oppress those from whom they have separated. As no man is so low as not to imagine he has inferiors, so these 'Christianos' like no better sport than to show their superiority to the Gentiles' in the art of war, while at the same time they gratify that propensity to hunt something which is inherent in the nature of man. These marauding parties went forth to the Indian country, and suddenly coming upon a village, made an attack when least expected, killing such as resisted, and carrying off to the settlements such as they thought best suited for servants. Sometimes these infamous expeditions were planned by the Mexican officers or Alcalde of the District, who called in the aid of volunteers. These war parties were much dreaded by the Indians, and hence their selection of places like this islet, which could not be approached by surprise."

This was but small measure of justice to those poor savages, who, although doubtless indolent in the extreme, and more or less demoralised by the contact of civilization, are yet represented as of amiable temperament, and possessed of many traits, rated high among Christian virtues. The agriculture of the ranchos is in the rudest state. The utensils that

were familiar to the people when conquered by Cortes, continue without improvement, to be the only means of cultivation. With the prong of a tree or a crooked piece of timber, drawn by oxen, the soil is turned three or four inches in depth, and this suffices to produce a most abundant crop.

The work of Lieutenant Revere introduces us very agreeably to the sports and games of California, giving us glowing accounts of the great skill of the Californian Spaniards in the use of the lasso, which seems to answer almost every purpose in life, and in the skilful use of which he thinks the Californians cannot be excelled. This singular dexterity in the use of the lasso seems to be peculiar to California. It attracted the attention of Lieutenant Ruxton, who remarks, that "while hunting on the Arkansas, they were joined by several of Col. Fremont's men, who were accompanied by a Californian Indian or young Centaur, who handled his lasso, with a dexterity which threw all the Mexican exploits I had previously seen into the shade."

The stocking of the rancho with cattle is the chief business of the year, and the immense herds of the several ranchos require to be accustomed to their respective localities, and the stray ones occasionally reclaimed ; for this purpose a weekly meeting takes place.

"When the ranchero procures his cattle and other animals, until they are 'carenciado,' or accustomed to the farm, they are driven every day or two round and round some convenient spot, by the shouting vaqueros.' Both the place and the act of driving are called rodea,' and this practice renders the cattle comparatively tame and peaceable, habituating them to the control of man, and exerting a great influence upon their increase. A rodea' is usually held in a well-regulated district, one day in each week, and upon every rancho alternately, the neighboring rancheros attending to reclaim their stray cattle. The several owners recognize their animals by their peculiar fierro." or brand, and by the seral,' or ear-mark, which differ on each rancho. The brand, which is registered according to law, is usually the initial letter of the ranchero or his rancho, but is sometimes a merely arbitrary sign. The ear-mark is a peculiar slit or hole, or a combination of both. These marks are made on the young calves, and at least once a year they are renewed. To effect this, the animals must be thrown down, which feat is performed by two horsemen with their lassos. The usual time for marking is at the annual matanzas,' or slaughter, in the month of August. These cattle are then driven to the corral, or circular farm-yard, and the doomed ones slaughtered; the hides are pegged out in the sun, the meat cut into strips, and hung on trees and poles to dry, and the tallow, after being melted down in large try-pots, or kettles, is packed in skins sewed up with thongs. The hides and tallow are the only parts exported, the dried beef being consumed in the country, as well as the finer quality of tallow, or manteca,' made from the fat of the intestines. The heads, horns, hoofs, bones, &c., are utterly wasted and thrown away; and, indeed, until within a few years, immense numbers of cattle were slaughtered for their bides alone, the entire carcass being left to corrupt, or feed immense numbers of wild beasts and large vultures, which were thus greatly encouraged and augmented."

The annual slaughter is described as follows:

"The wild cattle were driven to the roden, a number of half-tamed bullocks called cabristas,' turned among them, and the whole herd-surrounded by vaqueros dashing around them, and urging on the refractory and lazy-were driven towards the corral. Thus, amidst clouds of dust, through which might

be caught indistinct glimpses of agitated horns, fierce-rolling eyeballs, and elevated tails an occasional wild-looking, naked Indian vaquero, with hair aud top-knot streaming out, or a Californian vaquero, known by his fluttering sarape-the bellowing, rushing herd approached the corral. And now the cabristas, appointed to lead the herd, were loudly called for by the vaqueros with corral! corral!' adelante cabristas!'-and the trained animals, quickening their pace, rushed to the front of the herd and towards the opening of the corral. Duped by their leaders, as many a herd of wiser animals have been before, the wild cattle blindly followed, and the whole were snugly secured within the walls of the corral. The vaqueros then entered on horseback-for who should enter in on foot would be instantly gored to death-and, swinging their whizzing riatas, entangled such as were doomed to die. They also threw down young bulls, which were lashed by the horns, through holes bored for the purpose. to tame draft bullocks—an operation called · mancuerno,' designed to prepare the animal for working purposes. Proper measures were also taken to prevent the number of bulls from exceeding their due proportion to the gentler

sex.

"A place was selected near the river-the Russian-and convenient to the corrals, of which there are several large ones-where the operation of skinning, trying out tallow, cutting the flesh into strips to be dried, and all that sort of disgusting thing, was carried on by half-a-dozen hijos del pais' as superintendents, and any number of Indians as drudges."

Among the game of California the chief is the grizzly bear, the size, strength, and ferocity of which is such, that even old hunters shrink from an attack, unless in a strong party. The Californian, however, with his inseparable horse and lasso, attacks and overpowers the most powerful of those formidable animals.

"a single ranchero, without other aid than a horse, his inseparable friend the riata, and the accustomed knife worn in his garter. Thus equipped, he will lasso the largest and most ferocious bear; and, drawing the brute to a tree, and taking a turn or two around him, will despatch him with his knife, while the sagacious horse keeps the riata fastened to the saddle at its fullest tension. The bear, indeed, is immensely stronger than the horse, and if lassoed by the fore-paw, could, by merely standing on his hind legs, draw up several mounted men united by their riatas; but skill and intrepidity accomplish what mere force could never effect; and I have seen the fiercest and wildest mountain bull attacked and overcome by a single skilful vaquero, who carried him off as peaceably as if he were a puppy led by a string."

Notwithstanding the many accounts of the ferocity of this lord of the mountains, when attacked, he appears when unmolested to be of so playful and amiable a temper, as quite to elicit sympathy for the persecutions to which he is exposed. Many are the tales related by the hunters of his social habits; and although formerly "dancing bears" were exhibited at the great fairs of Europe, perhaps few suspected that from time immemorial rival Almack's assemblies were familiar to the ursine gentry of the Californian hills, as would seem to be the fact from the following account:

"An old hunter once took me several miles out of our way to a retired spot on the summit of a mountain, where he assured me the bears were accustomed to resort for the purpose of dancing. There was an old and gigantic pine, around whose base a slight hollow was regularly excavated, and the bark of the tree was completely scratched off some distance up, and the wood itself was deeply scarred. My friend assured me, that he had seen in this place a collection of bears, and had carefully approached them, keeping himself concealed, and advancing from the leeward. He solemnly asseverated that around this tree

sat the bears, and that each one of them was approached in turn by a huge old grizzly bear, and led to the tree, against which they stood up and moved up and down, as if dancing. This continued until every bear had been led out by the ancient bear, and it looked,' said the hunter, for all the world, like a lot of gals led out by a feller to dance.

"Although this story seems about as tough and indigestible as Cuffee himself, still, considering the restless habits of the bear-for although in form and color he is at a distance exactly like the rocks he stands upon, his see-sawing betrays him-1 am not disposed to reject the tale as wholly fabulous. But there's the story, and every one may judge for himself. I can only say, that the narrator was an honest man, and firmly believed that he had been an eye-witness of this marvellous and ursine ball. The old inhabitants of California, of all degrees, believe that these animals have resorts where they indulge in this fashionable amusement, and it is said that several of these ursine Tivolis exist in every district where the grizzly bear is found. I would respectfully suggest to the dancing masters to introduce, without delay, the pas d'ours.'

Having concluded his devoirs to Terpsichore, and becoming desirous of feeding, he by no means loses his temper, but amuses himself at the expense of his prey:

"his plan of operations being to roll himself up in a ball, and then, like an eminent statesman, to set the ball in motion, solitary and alone.' He selects for this pastime an open meadow, and while engaged in this ground tumbling, he cuts up all kinds of monkey-shines. He well understands the failings of the cattle, who are as curious as mother Eve, and will rush from all parts of the rancho to see the fun. In this he resembles the sportsmen of the Chesapeake, who train a little spaniel to toll the wild ducks in a similar manner. This curiosity to see what is going on is not confined to cattle, but is shared by antelopes, elk, and deer, who are easily attracted by a handkerchief flying from a ramrod. Well, the cattle will surround the bear in a wondering and gaping circle, until Cuffee-who is all the while laughing in his paw at their simplicity seizes upon the first fat cow that comes within the grasp of his terrible claws, and, revealing himse f in his true character, walks off with his prize, who thus pays the expense of the performance. Various other shifts and devices are resorted to by the bear to get hold of cattle, and he sometimes waylays them when on their way to the rodea.' An American of my acquaintance told me, that he received from the Administrador twenty cows as a fee for shooting an old bear of huge size, which had infested or invested the Mission of San Juan for many years. He had frequently been noosed, but was too cunning in the fore-paw to be caught in that only fatal part, managing with great dexterity to ward off the riata from it."

He for the most buries his food when first taken, in order that the operation of time may flavor the meat to his palate, in the same manner that epicures, when they take the bear himself, hang up his quarters for seasoning. When in repose he continues his sportive tricks for his own amuseLieutenant Revere and his party suddenly came upon a huge animal so employed:

ment.

"We had come unawares upon an illustrious stranger, whose reception of us might perhaps have proved unpleasant had we stumbled against him. He was a huge bear lying on his back, and so entirely ignorant of our approach, that he was in the most unceremonious and at-home sort of manner playing with his paws, which were sportively elevated in the air. Stringing his bow with the rapidity of lightning, old Colorado shot two arrows up to the feather into the recumbent and unsuspecting foe, and hastily retreated, while I discharged the contents of my holster pistols into the monster as he made towards