Holly Springs gazette., 1845-09-13
CALIFORNIA.


time since, 10 hear an address from MIR.
Hastings from California, touching ;he his
tery of that couutry.-After the usual pre-
lmina ries, says the American. Mr. Has
tincs took the speakers stand, and gave
lengthy and increasing narrative--in re-
porting which to do it justice, would occu>
py a space of several columns.
Mr.. Hastings promised, that be expected
to make California the place o! his permas
nent residence. and trusted he should have
the pleasure of meeting there many who
were within the sound of his voice. He
desired their frledship. and, in his remarks,
would endeavor not to raise hopes 10 be
disappointed: if he spoke of increduious
things he should not be doubted, as be was
about to speak OF facts not familiar TO US
here-and remarked that the inhabitants
Of The torrld zone would be amazed 10 see,
or hear, that, from the effects ofo climate,
water congeals into ice. He spoke OF The
climate of California, as far north as 35
or SO degrees, as being blessed with what
might DC termed an eternal sprin9-the
low lands bordering on the Paclhc, beng
subject only 10 the changes ftom dry to
wet-while the mountains In the interior
were covered with perpetual snow several
hundred feet deep.
OF lis health he remarked. that on the
sea board, fevers never Prevail-and the
inha bi ants OF the interior, who are SUBJ
iec, 10 ague and fever and re-mittent levers,
repair 10 the shores of the PacIhc and are
speedily restored-there beng no occasion
for physicians or medicine. As an eVi'
dence of the purity and salubrity OF the at
mosphere. he stated that animal matter
never putrifies-that oeef is there killed and
hung ia the open air. and without salt or
any other preservative appliance. than the
Tree Winds Of heaven, 1t remlInS utaln
ted.
The country abounds with prairies. and
yet it Is abundantly supplied with timber
the thrift of which is an evidence OF the
fertility of the soiI.-He had himself mea-
Sured a fallen red wood tree which was
twenty-three feet in diameter at the but,and
| its length was $50 feet, and the bare trunk
was two hundred feet without limb. OF
the husbandman's crops, he enumerated
wheat, oats. clover. fax, hemp &c, and de-
| clared that they grew, thriuly, without
cultivation ard averaged better than our
best crops, nurured with the skill and labor
| of nun the Spontaneous crop oil wheat
averaged from 40 to eighty bushels per
acre-when the ground had been well pre-.
pared l2l bushels had been The product.
| He has made days journey through a
field of oats frsm to ) feet Highland the
dry slubble Of the previous season gave evil
deIce of an average growth that year OF
| from TO s feet. For clover, hemp and
| fl TX the soil was equally adapted
| For herdsmen. the country bordering on
the Pablfic was unequalled. GfazlDg was
| good the whole year, the grass averaging
from two to three feet high. A lazy Mexi
can, hardly worthy to be ranked as a
human being, owned more cattle and hor
ses than could be found in any one county
| in the United S!ates-the cattle being val
aed principally for their hides. Vessels OF
eleven different nations he had seen there
al one view-and thus was afforded mars
ket for the products of the country. For
want of space, we pass his remarks on the
fisheries and fur trade ofthe country, and
several other Interesting topics.
He spoke of the country as aboundng
with every variety of fruit and flower, fish,
flesh and fowl; cut of MIN, the native
there, as degraded and unciviiized and IL
ert, unable of approaching the blessings
with which he was surrounded-and
hence, he inferred that it was the duty oil
Americans to plant the tree Of Liberty
there-tIat the sons of Freedom from the
four quarters of the earth might gather
beneath its branches and render California
what she is capable of being made, the gar
den of the earth.