The Trinity journal., 1856-09-06
California Two Hundred Years Ago.

Happening i'll the Office of our old friend,
DR. Rabe, in Clay street-says the San
Francisco Globe-we were highly pleased
with a glance of a book lying Oh his table,
beng History of America, published by
"Ogilby," his Majesty's Cosmographer, &c
in London, in 1911, picked up 10y the Doc
tor in his recent travels in Europe, and of
which there is not probly another copy on
this Continent We extract the following
in relation to our own State which we be-
lieve will interest our readers
CALIFORNIA.
1--WE shall close up our discourse Of these
islands that lie North of the EquinOctioL
Line, with a discourse of California, special
ly SO called, which was by many thought
and described to be a Peninsula or half
island by reason that the Bay which divides
it from Quivivia and New Gallaeia towards
the north, runneth much narrower than it
doth southerly, which made them think that
somewhere or other at the north it was
joined to the main land Of America. But
later discoveries have found it to be perfect
Continent for about the year 1920, some
adventurers, beating npon those Coasts
Northward, accidentally and before they
were aware, fell upon strait, the waters
whereof ran with such Torrent and violent
course that they brought them into 0Iar
Escmgti0. whether they would or no, and
before they knew it, and by that means
discovered that CahforHia was an island
and that the waters that were observed to
fall so violently into that Sea towards the
North, were not the Waters of any River
emptying itself into the Bay from the main
Land, as was formerly supposed, but the
North West Sea itself violently breaking
into the Bay and dividing it wholly from
the Continent 1t lieth North and South,
extending itself in vast length, fully twenty
Degrees Of Latitude, ric, from twenty-five
to forty-two but the breadth nothing an
swerable.
The most Northern Point Of it is called
Cape Blanche that to the South, Cape st.
Lucas, memorable for that rich and gallant
Prize which Captain Caceadish, in the year
1887, being then in his Voyage around the
World, took from the Spanards near to
this Place. As for the Island itself, it IS at
present little, if at all inhabited 10y the
Spaniards whether it be that they want
Men to furnish new Plantations, or that
they find no matter of invitation and encour-
agement from the country, or perhaps thai
the access thither he not so easy for It's
reported to be wonderfully well peopIed by
the Natives and that there were found only
upon the Coasts and along the Shore Of
Ql0r lerm{gIi0, twenty or tWenty-three Ma
tions, all Of different Languages though
from the particular Narrations that have
been made Of several eminent Persons into
these parts, it appears that the SpdntardS
have taken great pains in the discovery
thereof and also from the several Spanish
Names OF Places that they have had Plan
tatlons here formerly however neglected at
present.
THE CUSTOMS AND MANNERS OF THE NATIVES.
The country is abundantly well stored with
Fish and Fowl, as appears partly by
me Natives who take a huge pride in
liking themselves gay with the bones of the
ou. with winch they load their Ears, and
sometimes their Noses also ald with the
Feathers OF the other, which ordinary people
wear only sticking about their Wastes but
Great Persons, and such as will be fine in
deed, beset their Heads strangely with them,
and have commonly one Bunch of them big
ger than ordinary hanging down behind
them like a Tail
Having no knowledge Of the true God
they worship what the Devil will have
them, that is, the Sun, attrbuting to it only
the Increase of their Plants, healthful Sea
sons, and most Of the other good things they
enjoy or are sensible Of
Their GOVERNMENT Their Government
is said to be only Ecaaom,cal, each Fathe
ordering the Affairs Of his family apart
without snbjection to any other Superior
yet SO we'll managed that they live in goot
Peace one with another not without many
good laws and customs, viz: That they al
low but one Wife to one Man That they
punish adultery with Dea tn That they suf
fer not maids TO talk or converse with mel
till they be married That Widows may
not Marry till they have Mourned at leas
one half year for their HubamdS decease
and divers others of like nature which per
maps, if the truth were known do more
properly belong to the Natives of LIopia o
NtW AHoatiS, than to those of Cahf0rnta.
Inc Ilaces therein, as yet observed, are
only upon the Sea COASTS
|. The Capes Of ST. Clare and 81. Luca,
the one at the Soulful East end Of the Island
looking towards Ne0 GaHicta, the other at
the Southwest, looking into the Sea, and
towards Asia
2. 81. Cruce, so named from its being
first discovered Oh HoLy RoOd Dan, being a
large and convenient Haven. not far from
Cape st. Clare
3. Cabo de las Playas, SO called from q
company Of little bare hocks appearing
from the Sea, and is more within the Bay.
A. CO6o Ba1O, so termed as lying tow
ards the bottom Of the Gulf
5. 81. AadrewS, another convenient Ha
ven upon an Island Of the same name
q q THo.anc nr Iclnnd IL tLn ..,n,4I