, 1870-10-17
SAN FRANCISCO,
General Appearance of the City.
Social Life in the Suburbs.
Physical Development Of Men
i. and Women.
Depression Of Trade in California,
solid 1sEsz* OF Capital In Sas
FrunciAco.
Dawn Of Great Ttade with the Orient

Dawn Of a Great Ttada with the Orient.
The ocean Wind that strikes the westward
traveller in the face. al ho ctos.es the bav Of
San Francisco, blows away the dust Of his
long journey across the continent, and with it,
e!eo, all his preconccived notions Of tie Gold
en- City. 1t Was late in the afternoon when
stepped aboard the fe1y-boat at that end Of
the great trans-contlpenth railway. which pro
jects out into the bag nearly 10 Ycrba Duena
Island. Tho stin Hea-breeze which blows here
= great portion Of the year, and always from
tue west, darxenea the waters OF the bay with
angry Waves, and seemed to shave the round
cd tops Of tho brown and treeless hilla
OF al vegetation except patches OF grcdke-
wood and a few other hardy ehruba. Across
tho bag, four OF five miles away, ths dark
line OF hills was covered with houses, and.
hanging close over their roofs, was a dense
bank Of fog, which gradually settled doxn,
and seemed ready to p1ecipitato itself In
snowy avalanche upon the city below.
The ba1zcu-looking hills, the wind, aud the
ragged nasses Of scuading fog which hid tue
sinking Gun, gayo to the whole 4cene cold
and threatening aspect. Those phenomena
Of wind and fog are repeated almost every
afternoon, and strangers first view Of the
b,y and the city is apt to Leave an
unfavotable IMPRESSION. It il diticu!t
10 understand that, Notwithstanding this raw
wind, there are with The range Of vislon,
plenty Of places down the bay there, toward
San AlAteo and Santa Clara, where delicate
and tender fruits, such aa thrive in none but
warm and semi-tTopicAl clsnea nay le found
a.. -. FFyk
dinn tlle brightness Of the afternoon and puts
tho Sun to rehtin vet blanket; butif ths cloud
Of fog hza not . silver liuiDgt the traveller finds
at least, that it's irHt aspect AZ ho CROSSES the
bay is the worst. It takes iss departure from
the tops Of tho Hills around which the ciIy il
built, and sails on In great mnsaee
townrl Monte Diatlo. leaving ihe lower aud
greater portion OF tho city untouched. ILe
City. too, il built upon tho eastern slope Of
the hills, which treak, to some extent, tho
fyrce OF the sea-Hlptls from the west, aud
make q moro comfortable temperature in the
city than 1t seens to havs when viuwed from
Oakland.
GENERAL ArpEAnAScE-
One Of the first lliugs stranger notices ia
that. notwithstanding Iii. il new city, 1t has
the appearance OF all old one. The bro IN
dust that rt=es III clouds wl,erover the s,rc.,s
are not payetl. settles upon buildings N DIST
e,icd ly the sea air, and naints them grayish
riencod the difficulty OF hopping other coiors
unstained ly dust, and 10 Lnve followed tic
example OF the elements. and established
the custom Of PAirtinG all their hou.es it the
brown and neutral iintA. Viewed from Tele-
graph Hill, the citj is : dark. weathsr.st ,inel
.nafe Of buildings, unrclicveL BY any OF tlle
light colofs 60 common III Chicago.
Hon1s OF tho principal streets; like Market,
Montgomery. aud California, are wide, and
from milo to milo and 4 half III length. but
tile majority nre NARROW aud steep ~ III Eos-
ton, and ono climbs up Telegraph
sud L., l.ua.ian ;, Il a,;,, i1'lls 7! 9 - 10 does
general appearance Of the business streets
And the character CT the businros bulldogs
continually reminds ono OF Lt',h rEoso cities
The residence quarters aru built almost ex-
clusisely Of wood, though the designs arc o1-
trctneiy ornate. Gre1t numbers of them,
however, seem to have been built from 4
:tereotyped pattern, and the characteristic
1 ,:iiddliug class dwelling house Of San Francisco
| i, tWO-etosy aud high basement Wooden
houbc, with Tat roof and two windows ia the
front, the one Immediately over the other.
The burintts quarters OF the city are solid
lyau,l comrac:ly built Of brick and stone
Iron fronts are common, owing 10 supposed
greater Eecnrity in case OF earthquakes. aud
this DANGER niso forb,ds tho erection Of higl
buildings Of Irick or stone. Tle Grand Ho
1cl haA only three hoors below. the Iaasart
roof, and the distinctive feature Of Ill tAs
Few buildings is that they arc low. Amons
tho business buildings recently erected art
come that would be considered fine in all,
city In the wollI. but there nre ve1v few neE
buildings OF ahv class being erected NOW. ant
the small nnuunt Of builliuS goiug vi. ;,r.t
at present is in strong contrast with tie loul
! blocks OF msrb1o ttores and residences thu
arc nsiug in nearly ever5 quarter Of Chicago
srnUnuAS LIFE ASD sur1E1r.
The area Of ground available for huaines
nnT1 oees is cl1cunlscrlhed by tile hills, ant
The residences ara crowded up their sides
upon such cites a. are not available for busi
l.rts. To1eacll them IL NIT ouls fauguing
hut on these elevations the rceilcnts expo
ricpcc moro OF the .ogs that hang about th
fnfl-tops in the afternoons and mornings, an,
tAesc circumstances have influenced lag
proportion Of the prominent business nlel
tf tho city to reek residences ont in the bean
titut Harburnsn r1acta Of o O.kl1ud. San 1Iateo
Meslo Park. and Santa Clara, End at thes
!. enfi timsla1 su,burhan places may Ec foun
neighborhoci circles OF society tlist prcscn
tho mcst favorable aspect Of California socia
) life.
Between the coast range of Hills AMI the ba
, j. = wide "Trip OF level laiaG. dotted all ove
, | with groves Of such Er1t'a live uas trees 4
, grow III Fltsids at,d I4oris1aua. ln these nz
:, ur4l parls, and .catserod all through III
groves. are iil'e placea, OF nIsns acres in G.
! tril:, Which aye about equally devoted {
: c,cLazls aud ornamental pleasure ground
. Il,n roon,y houees. with wide l'iazzas; til
= level land; tho spreading five oak.
: fron whoss tonshs depend, here and ther.
lsngth; the luxuriant groSth snd bloo.
: Of flowers unfamiliar to Eastern eyes
sho srtist,cally ornxmentcd grounds, whef
there are founta;ns md tss.-ponds. acres {
lanns aud miles Of private diving roads az
i orpameuted by nrt, while all a1olali it only
), few miles away, the harth outlines Of II
dark brown mountains arc cut clear and CO
agninst the sky.
r Out in these suburban orchards within
radius Of tLirtv or forty miles from the cit
= m.y be feen the variety and luxuriancs
California fruits. Here may DO eceu the amp
y and the almond, tho pepper s1ee aud the Ea
d 1ish walnut. the fig aud tho apricot. besil
;, penches, and nectarincs, aud pearr, a,
i. pluns, and grapes, in great rarietlt
!. all growing in the ssr1e orchard, in such prof
- eien tlat they can neither be consumed At hot
Is nor sold in tho city. One gentleman at Men
iark, in whnee crchar] the ground vas litter
with great quantities Of lutcious rears, te
me that he had Fecentty sent 1uAntity OF I
n tincst to San Francisco. tho net results of I
il ra'c Of which did not pay the freight by r
the ~llo,t distance OF twcaty-tive miles Su
3o suburban towns ~ passed At San MAteo a
I" SlenIo Park shows the stranger that tho n
ple here have maao preparations for mt
III generous hospitality thin il to bc fou
y in or about any other American or I
~ rorean clty- Here On Sundays. tho C
II risge gates Of all the villas stand open. aud
:, company with any well-knowu and respect
Is citizen. one mav drive in II one gate aud {
u at nuothe1, for mica and miles through fin!
q urnamented private grounds, only etopri
,e y, now and then, at the solicitation OF the pl
70 prietors, to enter their houses and taste til
fruits and wibte.
Among thererIlent population, ,tosicty zee,
ur only partially realized in the larger cities
a. q, the Aiddlc States Successful in the purea
~ ~ OF wealth, = large proportion OF those v
* have gained it arc taking time to be socisl
n while they arc get in tho prime OF life. T
N. l,re time that they were couapazaliy
I Isolated from tho rest Of tic world ba{o11 I
ay railroad WAS built across the continent,
y. tablirAeu au unusual bond Of friendship
81 81 tween men and women, mAuy OF whom ",
10 pocr together and have grown rich ,ogeth
m aid eocial intercourse has grown ur an1c
r. :!,cu1 which will probably be chasac:c1i,ti.
ltY society there until i: is droaued il tue mi
Sc OF new population. a. il hss been in oil
Us c,irs that have EseWp great.
rs rs MEN ANn woMES.
IS. The out-ol-G1ou. habits OF ,ifa common to
a. California accfu as favorable to the ceyul
is N n, OF the Aasaau species the :ni1iaes:
cH tAo chfnttc - 10 tue SrnNka u lEu1tH
ne flaners. Nowhere c!se in America are
- women TO generally plump without be
Il gross, and amoue the peap'e who have Ii
10 III California ten years one sctlcm sec
S.. scsawuy woman. 4: 4 reception given to
Ihe British Admiral Fa14uhar faS wseks ,
d. n Il At which s0.uc ttlrra hundred IA1ie, u
W. rreeept II VIVA r,tu&fsed Yh.t +h,.. rs.
H. ~ one that wae lean, and very few that we
OF baNe "eie1 Less taah hnnafed ana II
! tann.ss. The zuls a.T,lirs al=q to the n