San Andreas independent., 1858-03-20
From the San Francisco Times1
California Its characteristics and
pysrorao%r
lcoNTISuED FROM FIRST PAGE.1

other country in the world For example. we
have the beautiful vale of Sonoma. backed in
rough grandeur by the dark peak of Diablo.
j with the interesting Bay, its islets and inlets,
! the swelling hills and the sweeping plains
Afar OFT In the deep chasms of the mountains
the I o Semitic pitches from its dizzy height
two thousand four hundred feet in two bounds
the loftest cascades in the world. On the
other hand, at the Geysers, in the cracking.
Fcannonading, whistling and roaring of steam.
and the spouting of hot mud and birthstone
fumes, we look on a field, under which we may
well imagine the INTERVALS swetering and tear
ing diabolically to break loose. At the Big
Trees we enter dell, quietly Tapped in the
mountains, where the majestic vegetable nina
rets are crowded, as in some city ofpilgrimage
there to look up, for the first time, in silence
and awe, of the mere life principle.
The scene of the City and Bay, in the back
ground of the city is one that any lover of Ma
ture might travel far to see. The same reversed
from the east side of the Bay, at Clinton, is
more remarkable. In the unalterable green
foreground, are the oaks of Oakland and the
Alameda here and there flows in strip or
armlet of water; next comes the Bay, in the
middle, with its picturesque islands: beyond
are the city, and the open Gate, showing the
Faralone Islands, far off to sea; right and left
the grand sea-wall of mountains stretches for
back ground, at least fifty miles. 1t is not
the Bay of Naples; the dreamy softness and
luxury are not here; but with more severity,
the scene unites higher spirit and beauty
as much more impressive and brilliant. The
Gate, itself, cleaving down the mountains to
let the commerce of the great Ocean of the
world pass in, has look of destiny in it strong
enough to be sublime.
While on this topic the writer throws in one
OF those picturesque incidents, which though
not part of are often al accompaniment of
our landscape scenery, though not 50 COM
mon now as of yore. He carries us to pleas
ant little valley amongst the Contra Costa
mountains, eastward from the Mission San Jose
1t is named Sunol-(we omit the final of the
author after its owner, one of the old Cali
fornia families. 1t is surrounded by huge
base hills some of them over 1000 feet high :;
and through its center runs a clear and rapid
stream. The stranger on entering to this
secluded spot by narrow gorge is struck
with its wild beauty but while contemplate
ing it, he observes cloud of dust rising. and
horsemen rushing wildly forward in all direc-
tions. Something brisk is evidently going on
here, and he must needs find what it is. Ap-
preaching the spot he discovers an immense
vi
which the owners and their herdsmen are
either sorting by their marks, or which else
they are sorting out, in sale of part, for the
market-they are Spanish native Californians
all, and do not answer English questions
This at least is plain, that they are gathering
out of the herd of thousand or more to make
up another and separate herd a short distance
off, and the lasso practice is the power. Rid
ing into the herd and through it, they chase
out one, turning him towards the new herd
But he runs by, and back into the herd, or he
strikes out into the plain, in some other direc-
ton. But the pursuer is after him. Round
and round swings the fatal loop or moose above
his head as he goes, till he gets within reach,
at three or four rods distance; when he lets it
fly, and it-drops with a kind of astronomic
certainty round the poor animals horns
Feeling it fast upon him, the animal now turns
upon his prosecutor, and it is convenient for
him also to fly in his turn-only keeping the
cord still fast to the horn of the saddle. An
other horscman follows Immediately, and an
other lasso drops and is drawn fast. Now the
animal, in a line between the two pursuers,
strikes off, throwing his whole momentum, if
he can, upon the straight line at right angles
to it, which gives him advantage enough to
unhorse both of them, if they let him come to
the blow. All three therefore now are in the
race together, and as soon as this is seen, a
third horseman is in pursuit. and throwing his
lasso, he picks up hind leg of the he
runs, doing it as easily as kntter might take
up fallen stitch. This done while the two
others are spreading right and left, he darts
off sideways in pricl1.of the spur and jerks
the refractory beast fiat upon the ground
where he lies believing in fright and despair,
held fast by three cords, at three angles, rs
little able to escape as fly in a spiders web.
Next a huge, fiery bull is seen rushing out of
the herd. pursued by a small, sharp looking
herdsman, who says, by certain look of his
eye, that he will show the green stranger
trick. Boiling into the plain, the mettlesome,
tall animal, leads off in race which puts the
horse to his best speed But as the pursuer
comes up to him, he seizes the tail of the rene
gade, streaming level behind him, winds it by
a quick turn round the horn of his saddle, and
darting off suddenly by spring, as if it were
jerks the bull fiat down and rolls him clean
overl Whereupon there is a shout from all
but the bull who gets up, as it were, in an
effort of self-recollection, and walks off meek |
ly where they show him the way.
Having treated the reader to this graphic |
description ola practice common in the pastoral /
districts we are brought back to a considera-
ton of the natural scenery of California. In
starting out again it is the original remark of
the author that we find all our preconceived |
ideas of the effects of culture reversed in this |
here culture improves nothing; CAL
ifornia was finished as a world of beauty be-
fore civilization appeared. The valleys open
ed wide and clean with parks of oaks scatter
ed in picturesque disorder through their whole
extent; the plains were broad prairies or lux
uriant clover fields, and the very hills, great
stretches of pasture lands, all more magnifi-
cent than science could plan or imagination
Civilization covers and cuts down
the groves, for fire-wood and rails, runs fences
over the plains and covers them with grain,
them into a sort of stubbly and !
utilitarian desoation. While we agree with |
our author that the natural surface of the |
country is exceedingly attractive, we think
there is in waving field of grain: even to the
artistic eye, much beauty 1t is a slight mis-
take to say we can have no lawns or grassy
slopes as in the east for at least one-third of
the year we have these everywhere in the great
est richness and profnsion; while in those dis
tricts near the coast they keep green for even
a greater proportion of the season. So also,
much shrubbery, especially those kinds indi-
genous to the country, keep green throughout
the year without irrigation.
We have no exceptions to take to what is
said AS to the destructive process of MINING IN