Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-05-30


ing interesting extracts from letter Of our
former townsman H. L. Story NOW sQiourn-
inr in California fo- his health to his
father-in-law. Dea. E. A. Fuller of this city.
We are glad 10 know that Mr.. Story health
Is greatly improved.
THE CLIMATE.
SACRAMENTO. May 5th.
! found the journey from Chicago, in
stead of 2 long. lonesome ride. q very pleas
ant one X was very cold weather al the
way through The last morning we were
in d region where the thermometer marked
- below. Before noon we entered green
fields where perpetual summer relgns.
The change was 50 sudden and 50 great
that II seemed 10 me that il could not last,
but II hes lasted / have seen q white frost
twice since ! came here, but no ram. Steady,
calm. sunny days with moonlight or star
light nights follow each other in continu-
Gus succession. The atmosphere Is dry and
pure Colds, pneumonia, &c, are unknown.
or anv other disease common in the East
caused by climatic changes
AN OLD BURLINGTON BOY.
found orr old friend Hopkins at the
depot on my arrival. He Is doing the
greatest part Of the book, stationery and
news business Of this city, which Is, OF
course, very large. He hastive clerks IN ms
employ and they are al always busy. Hls
sales amount TO several hundred dollars
daily in gold. Profits large Of course. Re
manned here few days and then went TO
SAN FRANCISCO,
which Is big city and fully as wicked as
Chicago. considering its size and OppOrtu-
mites 1t Is built on rough, billy ground
and presents a very pretty picture from the
bay which we are obliged TO cross in o fer
ryboat ] took the steamer here for
SANTA BARBARA.
Young city which i getting to be famous
resort for invalids, lying on the southern
coast about $50 miles from san francisco.
After being out on the ocean 4 few hours
] began To be strongly reminded OF Z certain
Lake Michigan Trip. In fact. ! wed
with the other passengers IN my efforts To
part with ny breakfast. Ihirty-two hours
took us t. Santa Barbara We were il
sight of the coast all Of the way. the view
of which from the steamer l. magnificent.
Santa Barbara ! found 10 be q perfect little
rem OF place. Ii l. situated IN little
valley s.Oping down 10 the ocean. very much
like Darlington n that respect. but four or
five miles back rise Up the grand and pre-
cipit0u~ coast range of mountains 10 a
height of three and four thousand feet. ION
the Two other sides nigh nils enclose the
town looking oceauward are the Santa
Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands, with high
mountain peaks. about twenty miles away
These islands fully break the ocean winds,
making fine harbor. At the rear of the
city Oh the high incline stands the old
Franciscan mission that gave the town IT,
name II looks like some fairy castle IN
the distance, and at q near approach / wat
asI0uIsled 10 see what q vast amount of
Labor must have been expended on it when
constructed. II was built by the old Fran
clscan monks century since. Construc
ted of solid hewn stone. some three hun
dred ieei long by one hundred wide one
side Of which l. Ornamented by q series OF
magnificent stone archways running the
whole distance. A great bell tower stands
on one corner with what was once O chime
OF bells. three OF which remain hanging
The remains of immense water RESERVOIRS,
aqueducts. fountains. &c. are everywhere
% be seen. also the crumhlinr walls of the
Old adobe houses formerly occupied by the
converted and semi-cIvIlIzed Indians are
scattered about IN pr0iuslOn- In NY travels
since. have freq uently encountered many
other similar ruins of old missions. scatter
"a all over the state What an amount Of
religious enthusiasm these old SpanIard-
must have been endowed with. 20 % At that
early day among the wild, fierce tribes Of
an unknown distant land and spend their
lives IN toll and hardship unheard Of and
forgotten BY all the rest Of mankind
consider these missions and their histories
the most interesting of anything 10 be seen
here.
was in SANTA Barbara and it. vicinity
over @ month. The climate j. as near per
feet there.l think. o. It can be made. There
was SJ little change in the climate that We
were usually obliged u consult the ther-
m0meter L. detect Il. The average was 81
IL the shade, at g. N. during March, and
II varied but little from that average the
year r0uud. During the winter months
they have rains occasionally. about as ire
queuty as we do IL the Eastern States IN the
summer. They occasionally have sand
storm. ! experienced one II came ap
suddenly IN the evening and lasted about
an hour. The wind came down from the
carrying sand, gravel, stones. |
6c-. along with Il, when II had spent it, |
force IL was a calm, still and beautiful q
evening "a ever saw. Three /
years ago the town consisted Of a few old /
These are made of burnt clay about four /
feet long and eight inches wide II the shape |
lf o half cylinder. They are laid on the /
roof closely together forming series Of /
-r0uChs. with another set inserted over the /
edges Of the first set. AL Of the Spanish /
houses and old missions are rooted ID this
way. There Is no doubt but they are fire
lr0gf. Chicago architects might take a
essen from them. The CITY has now from
TX 70 seven thousand inhabitants. mostly
i've Yankees, and l. growing very rapidly. I
Il Is undoubtedly the most genial and InTIE-
lratinc climate for c0nsumptives in the
nited States. Fruit trees have been set out by
he thousand all over the city, including
range, lemon, lime, fig apricot, English
walnut. almond. DC. Strawberries pOta-
oes. &c, can be brought 10 maturity any
month of the year desired, but irrigation
= necessary 10 do It IN the summer such
S Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and san
Diego. with all the narrow strips of c0un-
~ between the mountains and the ocean
on Southern California. But
when we leave this comparatively small
racf OF country the scene changes. Istart-
q out the first day Of April Oh horseback
or
los ANCEL0s,
no hundred and fifteen miles ! found
me country most of the way ] found Los
angeles lovely place. 1t Is about the
lze of Burlington ; situated on q plain.
urrounded by immense orange, almond.
live and walnut groves. A more beautiful
ieht can hardly be found than an orange
richard, tie trees loaded with ripe fruit
nd filed with blossoms AT the same time
saw one orchard said 10 contain 900
rees all IN bearing The revenue derived
rom this orchard j. very large When ! |
lft Los Angeles I turned my face north
ard again and few miles introduced me
nd my pony into an exceedingly barren
sgi0n Day after day we t0iled on. now
yer high. barren mountains and OCCASION
lily down into some little green valley
bout Two hundred miles brought me into {
he great Z
san JOAQUIN VALLEY,
hich traversed for many weary days 1t
insists of vast sandy plain, some three
undred miles long by thirty to sixty wide.
his valley has been considered very fertile !