The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-02-02
The Sea-Li0ns Of the Pacific Coast.

"Grace Greenwood" writing to the
New York Times from San Francisco,
thus describes visit to the "Cliff
House." on the sea-coast, six miles
from the city:
The Cliff House has "a long, broad
verandah, facing the sea, and COM
manding fine views Of the Golden
Gate, of the dark, bold bluff of the
peninsula, and Of the rocky points be-
ynnd the curving beach. On this
morning there were many sails in
sight, some passing through the grand
gateway, some coming up slowly be-
lore the soft wind, some melting into
dreams Ofship. down the misty hori-
zOn. The Seal Rocks, three sharp,
picturesque little Islands Immediately
in front of the hotel, were crowded
with sea lions, their strange, dismal,
discordant barking filling the air.
These particular sea-lions are under
the protection of the law, and such
old customers, that hd6itucS at the
Cliff House are able to single out the
leaders, the solid citizens, and have
given them distinctive and uistin-
guished names.
/ must confess watched them with
an eager, childish interest and enjoy
ment. An English tourist at my side
remarked with a happy command Of
words, "What an extraordinary sight,
Really, you know, | had no idea of it
What extraordinary creatures! and
what an extraordinary noise they
make (Which are my. opinions bet
ter expressed.
Some of these sea-l!oD5 are mon
sters of their kind, weighing 1000 TO
| 200 pounds, they sag. All se:is,
queer, gTotesque, uIicanny creatures,
have for ME a strange fasciGati0r-
seeming Ike sinful human souls in
wild tormept--Gen, perhaps who
have warred and wasted, and lived
free band high and fast, going through
an uncomfortable metemp-ycho.i.,
prisoned and pinioned in these flabby,
slippery and clumsy forms. AS you
first see those on the coast, they seem
continually to be Hopping over the
rocks or down into the water, and you
say to yourself, "Whata dr4ary thing
it must bean existence of fiops ~
But, As you watch them further, you
see that q sea-li0n's life is varied, for
there is wallow in the water, and the
hitch up on the rock, the siestG in the
sun, and the bark. When he Ia awake
that is inces.aut. Day and night his
"bark is on the sea.n Sometimes,
pleasantly reminds one of the House
of Representatives. Doubtless the sea-
lion has bis mare.tal relations per
haps the plural style of marrisge pre-
walls in the thriving community, and
all the middle-sized monsters grouped
around the big ones were their cOn-
sorts" sealed 10 them. IF so, the
ill-adjastment and discomfort which
nowadays seem almost insepaFabe
ff"m the blessed estate Of wedlock,
may account for some of the little un-
p:easantness Observable OF the rocks
in the mi.dest and sieep;est times.
Another reason why not here, mOre
than in Congress, do we find peace
and unity, is, perhaps, that here, also
| they have a sumner and Ben
Butler" Another big seal has been
dubbed by some patriotic visitor,
| quiet old fellow, and sleeps most Of
Tie lime. ne Has u SuilcU Ceep-
mouthed bay" yet / saw enough to
/ be convinced that his bite is worse
than his bark, for while I was regard
ing him as he lay in profound slumber,
and enormous seal hitched himself up
out of the water near by, made care.
full reconnaissance, and deliberately
went for him. You should have seen
the old Phocid@n msjestically rear
himself on his hippers, and heard his
roar of angry defiance, which rang
above the clash of the waves, and was
echoed by every loyal seal on the
rocks, except, perhaps, "Sumner.n
Then began one Of the most exciting
contests ever witnessed. 1t seemed
to come of in rounds" like a prize
fight, the first assailant continually
getting the worst of it. When hs
was severely punished" by the Gen
erals tusks, he invariably fell bach
and lifted up his voice and wept. A
last, after half dozen disastrous At
tscks, he fell SO far back that ht
Topped off the rock into tht water
where be laid his sore head on th'
bosom of the deep and subsided. Th.
victor gave triumphant bark
turned over and went to sleep.