Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-17
CALIFORNIA.

OALlG OlGIN La
A Visit Go the EnteriOr-A Picturesque
Region-Interesting Relics of n
Former Age.
A former citizen of East Tennessee,
now q resident of San Francisco, gives
in letter to friend in this city an inter-
esting account of visit he recently made
to the interior of the Golden State, from
which we are permitted to make the fol
lowing extract:
took the cars bound for Monterey and
San Louis Obispo counties, where we had
some legal business which required my
attention. halted first at Santa Clara
and San Jose to see a Spanish client.
These are two handsome villages, the lat
ter containing a population of 10000 or
1900, located three miles apart. They
ere linked together by street railroad,
which passes through an avenue of trees,
a species of the willow, interesting chiefly
on account of its antiquity, having been
planted by the Indian neophytes, under
the orders and superintendent of the
friends of the neighboring Mission of
Santa Clara, about the year 1880. San
Jose is flOurishing place, and being stu
ated in fertile valley, promises TO be
town of some importance.
Gilroy, thirty miles below, is the pres
ent terminus of the railroad in that direc-
don, and like all railroad towns, presents
a sgperlatively netU appearance; 1t has
a population of perhaps thousand, and
81 moving ambitiOusly forward.
Taking the stage OF this point, | pro-
ceeded by way of San Juan, and crossed
a low range of mountains, from the sum-
init of which | caught a glimpse of the
blue Pacific, thirty miles distant, canO-
pied with gorgeous clouds of crimson and
gold, which yelled from view the sun
who was quenching his fires in its waves.
From this scene of enchantment, with
which nature sometimes, in seeming DALI
ance, curtains from mortal sight that I'M
known paradise of joys beyond-a scene
which could have added new inspiration
TO the pencil of a Claude LOrraine-I
descended into the valley of the Salinas.
Here is a fertile body OF land, $50, 600
acres, nearly every acre of which is tilla-
BILE, perfectly level, and dotted with groves
OF Hve-oak 1t is rational to believe that
in coping years this will be the seat of
flourisailg colony. Already several
thriving villages have sprung up. Yet
very large proportion of this tract, two
thirds, or perhaps thrce-fOuTths, is not I'M
der fence or cultivation. One curse under
which it groans-a curse indeed, which is
fastened upon nearly the whole State-is
that land spectators have gObbled up
vast bodies of it, who refuse TO sell, or
hold it at figures beyond the reach of the
poor man. This is q crying evil and
great detriment to the Commonwealth,
which can only be Temcdied by a Judi
ciols system of taxation. But our body
Dolttic is so rotten with corruption; our
legislators have such etching palms,
and the purse consequently such Omniiic
influence, that honest men despair of ever
seeing the remedy applied. Bribery
reaches every pore of our State admins
tration, if we except our Executive,
against whom | have heard no charges.
1t is open ard unabashed, and the men,
bers of our Legislature make no secret
of the fact that they daily sell their votes
for money. Gigantic monopOlies arc
overriding the land, and the Legislature
is but their agent, paid to legalize their
swindles. so Temporal! o mOreS!"
The Salinas valley is devoid of timber
fit for building or fencing purposes, or of
any other kind of wood, except as before
stated, the live oak, which is here a scrub
by tree, with low and spreading branches,
the trunk beginning to fork within two TO
i've feet of the ground. These groves of
live oak look precisely like old orchards of
old apple trees. SO exact is this resem-
Dlance, that, at a short distance, is is only
after repeated mistakes on my part, and
the reflection that there are no apple or
chards in this country, that have learned
TO distinguish at 4 glance their real char
.acter.
After emerging from this valley, had
TO sop day 10 attend TO some business.
Our client, a Mexican gentleman, lived
twenty miles off the stage road, and a
farmer with whom had slight acquaint
ance kindly furnished me with couple
of mustangs, and with clever and in
telligent young Mexican, Jesus Green, for
guide, and a spur with rOwel large as
@ wagon wheel as a persuader, l mounted
and put out. The Mission of San An
tonic lay directly in our way, and an
hours ride brought us to it. We dis
mounted, went in and slipped a cup OF
coffee with the old Friar, not that thirst
ed for the stimulant, but | rather liked the
novelty of the situation. The priest is q
Spaniard, a man of some intelligence,
somewhat of a fanatic withal; hates inf,
dels, and lawyers too, | suppose. He has
been in charge of the mission fifteen
years. He lives in a wing of the structure,
a huge building fit for the accommoda
ton of hundreds, with its arched corridor
and numerous chambers, all alone, saw
the presence of host of saints, quantity
attired and peeping through the dust anC
cobwebs of the walls, tainting with
monkish Odor the air of the sOmbre soil
tude. Where are the hands that raise,
this dreary pile, and the feet that once
thronged its portals But, as we have
iaunt before us, and remembering wha
Scott says of the ruined abbey, that W
must see it by moonlight,
"If we would view fair Melrose Alright"
we will defer our reflections till our re
turn, when the lunar orb will perhaps len
US its rays to light the ruin.
From the Mission, we continued GU
journey up the San Antonio valley. Thi
is q quiet and secluded vale, thanked b
two ranges of mountains The little rive
from which the valley takes its name
wends its winding way between them
The road is not public highway; bU
rather like a blind country path, it'll
travelled. Groves of woodland are scat
tered over the plain, and scrubby pine
begirt the hillsides. There are no farm
or lands in cultivation, and no habitations
The valley is used for grazing sheep, an
numbers of tlOcks were browsing upO
the knobs and declivities. Nearly all th
gulches descending from these hills, t
gether with the bed of the streaiA, pr
duce gold, and they have been worked frol
time TO time, but the metal has n,
been found as yet in paying quantities
The day passed through couple of o
miners who had been prospecting, O..ii
IN and reported a rich discovery, furnishl
themselves with tools and set out TO wol
the vein.
From this valley l was compelled
scale a mountain to reach the habitatiC
of the man | was seeking, who, throu.
singular within, had built his house, Ill
the eagle his cyTic, in place environed
rock-ribbed ridges. A rich basin of pc
haps a hundred acres and the mounta
bluffs arounl him afford abundant Dastr