The Shasta courier., 1871-01-14
NUMBER AZ.
The Early Spaniards OF Callfory
MIA.

A San Francisco correspondent Of the Gin
cinnati Commercial gives this interesting Bit
OF historical remiuiscense:
One Of the most melancholy and vet in.
structive chapters n the marvellous history
u California will be that which relates to
the evil and miserable destiny which has
"vertaken the brave old princely Spaniards,
only In less degiee than the inferior Mexi.
cans and The barbarians whom they subjug
ated. When the discovery of gold flashed
upon this goodly land they were living in Q
patriarchal and virtuous simplicity, the
owners OF ranches across which one might
Eailop all Summer day. OF lordly herds
which no man could number. With here
and there an exception Of some rancorous
enmlty against prying and bargaining
Yankee, the hospitality Of the superb old
grandees was absolutely limitless, and to the
wanderer roaming over these boundless
plains they gladly offered the choicest Of
their herd of saddle horses a. a relief to his
own. so rejoiced wee they to behold a
strangers face. Then came the fatal dis
covery. and the land was filled from end 60
end with eager, clamorous, hungry men,
tearing up all the banks of the pellucid
streams. and pushing even far up lnto the
mountains, to corrupt the fountain heads !;
and straightway, without stroke Of their
hands, or an outlay of Spa ish dollar,
these old grandees found themselves richer
than all the Indies. Every high-horned and
shining bullock in their countless herds
became skinful of silver. and nll the yellow
marrow Of his bones was like fat gold
Before such unheard of temptations it was
only mortal that they should fall Know.
ing nothing whatever of the use Of money.
ardiy more than if Adam in his primitive
innorence in the garden. had suddenly been
endowed with all the coi.age Of dia, they
scattered their new found gold like the regal
speIdthrifts they were. They fell from
Paradise, and the swarming sheriff attact.
ments against their lordly estates where the
flaming sword which turned every way, to
keep the way of the tree Of ife.' Tainly
did old Pho Pico, that bitter hater Of Amer
leans. warn his countrymen against the
treacherous and insidous race. I'VE find
ourselves threatened by hordes of Yankee
immigrants, who have already begun to
flock into our country, and whose progress
We cannot arrest. A ready have the wagons
of that perfdous people scaled the almoet in
accessible SUBMITS of the Sierra Nevada.
crossed the entire continent, and penetrated
the fruitful valley Of the Sacramento"
They saw their magnificent ranches slip
one hy one from their enervated and luxur-
ious grasp, and pass forever into the possess
sion OF that ''pertdous people," They be-
hell all their noblest and tairest maidens
slip hopelessly away from their prnund old
allegiance, because their own countrymen
were become too poor to support them in
their sumptious Incidence. and become tho
wives of the hated and despised intruders.
thosr
condemned to q diss"lute celihacy, pass
swiftly down to an infamous drunkard's
grave, gnaw their proud heart, and die.
The race of the naughty family of the
Amadors to day drags out a>miseruble and
despised existence as souatter ON the auces.
trail estate on San Francisco Bay, now worth
millions. The noble and kindly old mission
ary, Padre Altemira. of Sonoma, whose
possessions once surpassed oil tbe riches Of
Israel or the lfuuean patriarch. now lives
IN exile in u vile convent in Teneriffs.
No more do the gallant wedding
trains. with fair women and brave men, boot
ed and spurred cavaliers. gorgeous with all
the trappings Of Castilian msgnifcence. with
boots Of Cprdovan leather, and pouches of
purple and of VOLTS fur or spotted like q
pards, sweep in gay cavaicade from mission
TO mission before the eyes of wandering
catechumens and Indian neophytes. No
more do the gay and careless sons of the
proud rsncheros scud on their feet mustangs
through the light violet haze, beneath the
silvery moon, bent on errsnds Of love, or fee
through the darkness, terror stricken and
DUNN. before the terrible form Of The Spec.
tire Bull Of Salinas" No more are their
soft thrilling waltxes and the tinkle Of the
light guitar heard within their simple mud
walls. undisturbed by the presence of the
hated traders, while the rich, red wine from
the City of the Angel. passes gaily around
to each in the capacious gourd. @
They are strangers and aliens nov in the
land they unce possessed. In Southern
California. being somew hat massed together,
they are still able to make some head against
the ineursion of American ideas and Ameri-
can customs, but most Of them even there,
who have not become absolutely worthless.
are trading, traficing. clase. practical. like
Americans toward Americans. | have
know q proud, old family too indolent TO
labor, and too naughty. trying 10 live on a
hundred cattle pastured on the ''range."
borrow shotgun from an American to shoos
some quails, AS they had absolutely nothing
in the house to eat. A good many Of their
daughters of the lower sort snbsist almost
entirely on the presents of their lovers. the
bachelor ranchers. Gke the Parisian grisettes,
and they do not work. like the latter. All
of them who are manageable. except some
few Of the pruudest and purest families who
keep the old bitterness. are on the lookout
for American husbands as being the best
average bread. winners. -,
?