Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1844-05-11
CALIFORNIA.

iulScOuUt, II tney are not 50 aiTeauy'
The New Orleans Picayune condenses
description ofittaken froma St. Louis
paper as follow:- 1-el .afs
But il is in relation to California that
the letter before US is most instructive
and interesting. After defining the
limits ofthe territory, he describes the
face of the country as it is spread forth
in beautiful valleys running parallel TO
the coast. The nature of the soil is
described as extremely fertile. Wheat
is the principal grain grown, and the
soil readily yields from thirty 20
sixty bushels to the acre. Oats grow
without cultivation to the height of five
or six feet, and the writer declares that
he has travelled through thousands Of
this kind. Clover grows two or three
feet high, and the flax Of the Territory
is represented as Of the most excellent
quality. To use the writer's own
words: wndian corn, beans, peas, bar
! ley, tobacco, and all kinds of vegeta-
L,es, are grown with great success in
all parts OF the country. There is no
soil or climate in the world more favor
able to the growing OF rice, cotton and
cane, than that of California. Apples,
pears peaches, figs, almonds, olives,
dates, oranges, lemons, citrons, pome-
granate and grapes, may all be produ-
ced in any abundance. In fact, all the
tropical fruits are or may be produced
in this climate"
The country has usually been des-
cribed as being excessively bare OF
timber. The writer declares this to
be erroneous. The climate is repre-
sented as one perpetual Spring, equal
ly free from the extreme cold OF our
winters and heat Of our summers. The
writer declares that it is as mild on the
Pacific Coast, in lat. 450 ~, as on the
Atlantic in $50 N. Standing water
has not been known to freeze to great
err thickness than window glass, and
running water never freezes. 1t is an
immense grazing country at present,
the farmers having herds ofcattle from
1000 10 10000 in number. Immense
numbers of horses, too are to be found.
Game and fish of the most choice and
valuable varieties abound. There are
several bays on the coast, and the wri-
ter predicts that, at no distant day an
important commercial city will grow
up at some point on the bay Of st.
Francisco. s 81
The population Of Upper California
is set down at about seven or eight
thousand, nearly two-thirds Of whom
are native Indians; the other portion
is composed Of Mexicans, negroes and
mixture of every color, description
and grade. With the exception Of the
foreigners, the whole population is said
to be I'M deplorable state ofignorance.
The only knowledge which they pos
sess, civil, political or religious, they
derive from the Roman Catholic clergy,
who are represented as generally learn
cd and intelligent, but the most disso-
lutte and abandoned characters of the
whole community. There are about
four or five hundred foreigners in Cal
ifornia, who are generally very well
treated. There is little or no difficulty
in procuring titles to lands for foreign
ers, the only condition being that they
shall become citizens. Upon the whole,
the writer paints in most glowing col
oas this delightful section Of country,
and concludes with the following dec
laraton:-"In couclusion, / will re-
mark that there is no country in the
world that offers as flattering induce
ments to emigrants as Upper Califor-
MIA; nor is there country, in my opln-
ion, on the face of the globe, so emf
nently calculated by nature herself 10
promote the prosperity and happiness
ofciviiized and enlightened man."
PA reverend lecturer at the East
t-,;-.1ot, no 1rouud that mn man