The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1865-03-03
Letter from California.
Say FrAxcrsco. jan. 10. 1865.

About month ago l. mad you ny
the hand in st. Adams, with a good
snow path undorour feet Now / am in
the Golden City where snow never
falls, and where garden vegetables
como fresh from the ground to mar
ket at all seasons of the year Hav-
ing been thus suddenly borne round
the continent, from winter to perpot-
ual Summer and from perpetual sum-
mcr to this land OF perpetual planting
and perpetual reaping, possibly can
say word worthy of your not
ice.
Here they tell me there is no win
ter and no summer. The same kind
of clothing is needed at all seasons.
Fire is as acceptable in summer as in
winter, and a good blanket at night
also. Here in the middle OF this win
ter month you see cabbages and all
the esculent roots in immense guam
titles coming fresh from the gardens
every day. Hero are the tenderest
house-plants in bloom in the open air,
and while the gardner is harvesting
and marketing n mature crop he is at
the same time planting another of the
same sort on the same ground. This
Of itself is curiosity worth coming to
California to see. California in gem
eral and San Francisco in particular, l
think, may be counted the eighth
wonder of the world. Fifteen wears
ago this great Metropolis, that now
controls the money market of the
continent, was absolutely a nonentity
Now the people of all nations, chimes
and languages, are here represent ed.
Here all the activities of man in all
conceivable lines of employment arc in
full play. Here are all the appliances
of civilization in full requisition on the
most costly and elaborate plan. Here
is population greater than New
York had in $50 years from its first
settlement, and wealth in untold mill
ions; all the growth of the short space
of Is years.
But to be little more specific and
more personal, | arrived by the
steamer Golden City on the 10Th, af-
ter safe, pleasant and interesting
voyage of % days. To a northern
man who was never within the trop-
les, it is peculiarly novelty to be car
ried there from n northern Christmas
in the short space of week, where he
can see oranges, pineapples, cocoa
nuts and bunanas, hanging upon the
trees, and where all the luxuriance oil
tropical vegetation contrasts with the
deafness of the country's cline on
which he has so lately turned his back
This, however, We saw only for few
hours on the Isthmus. While on the
Atlantic, we were for the most part Of
the time entirely out of sight of land
And on the Pacific, although the coast
range of mountains which extend the
whole distance from Panama to Sal
Francisco, was distinctly in view, yet
we were seldom near enough to dis
tinguish objects of particular interest
The monotony of our voyage was occa
sionly interrupted by the large schools
of porpoises and black fish which w,
passed, and which, much to our diver
sion, would, by leap, exhibit theil
full proportions out of water. Tn,
spouting of whales, also, and n sigh
of their huge backs, was not yer,
uncommon occurrence on the Pacific
Once here, and / found myself not S,
much among strangers as among oil,
friends aud acquaintance, not onl,
from Vermont, but from Illinois an,
New York, people with whom l hav
mingled pleasantly with in years lon,
gone by, and who were ready to re
ceive me with open arms and reneN
old friendship, and live over again oil,
events and associations. Among
these / will mention our mutual col
I lege friend and former fellow towns
men, Henry B. James, ESD, who wa
one of the early advonturers to Cali
fornia, and who has long identife
himself with the social and education
J al interests of San Francisco, and VIII
now stands high at the bar of he
. courts also his brother j. Lyma
James and their reyered mother
) with whom l have spent a little tim
: since my arrival here, moro pleasant
: than with friends whom 1 hav
not met in long time. Henry kline
, ly volunteered to leave his bushes
{ and spend n half day with me in dri,
ing to the different parts of the cit.
- l..