Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-23

Clara TO Los AngeIes-CamptDEO out
at Night-First View Of the Pacific
A Night ON the Beach-The old Mis-.
sIOns-LOs Angeles City and County
Cost of Living, Society, etc.
To the Union and American:
Los ANGELES. CAL, Aug. u, 1S73.-
Many of your subscribers who have read
nv former letters from tie Coast, have
written to me for special information in
reference to Los Angeles. 1t cannot be ex-
pected that a residence of only few weeks
here would enable me to give great deal Of
useful information derived from personal
observation, but we will give our impress
sions of this. city and country, and hereafter
give the benefit of such observations as a
more extended acquain, sDce will suggest.
To some of our personal friends, e short
sketch of our trip from Santa Clara to this
city may be of moments interest. A loDg
camping trip in my 3uth, from Alabs ia
to Texas, bad given me very romantic IDEAS
of the pleasures of camplife and for the
benefit of the tealth of my family and more
particularly to avoid the stomachic upheaval
which an ocean ride generally causes, we
concluded to make the trip Of $50 miles in
a spring wagon and to camp out at night.
We left Santa Clara on the 7th of July.
Just imagine your humble servant, whose
hands were as soft as a woman's, seated on
a spring seat ten feet above the ground,
driving through the aristocratic thorough
fares Of San jose. We ask our Tennessee
friends shows that for high?" If we had
only had one or two more white beaded
children poking their heads out from under
the wagon sheet and poor ''yalar dog
Fla ma rnnid haua
TO be accused of being ON 'North Caro-
Ina" When night overto US, we would
spread our blankets on the ground aud
watch the bright sentinels of the sky as
they Whirled in graceful eVolutions along
the blue battlements of heaven. How
strange this atmosphere. The most deli
cate woman may sleep on the G ound, with
no roof but the sky, and arise in the morn
ing refreshed and invigorated. We came
down the Coast nearly the entire trip, pass
ing the ancient Missions of San Miguel,
San Louis Obispo ard the fourishing city
of Santa Barbara. On the top OF Santa
Juez mountains we caught The first fine
view of the Pacific. The sight was grandly
beautiful. Being somewhat lover of
poetry we could no. refrain from
repeating Byron's splendid spostophe
W Lie OCcdus AlC LlOuDtaLA BOthhS lSS-ulDs,
their Jagged spires against an smethystine
sky, the blue waves flashing their white
spray and breaking in thunderous tones
along the shore, the line of dolphins sport
ing in the distance and the soft hazs hang
Ing like q veil of beauty over all,
aroused in our hearts our old love of the
Beautiful, and the scene became instinct
with life wonder and a worship. For
i, road Low Aaenrfc onH
mountains, but we have not SPACE to 60 in
to details. In the midst of barren plain
we came upon the old mansion of San Mi
eueI, built one hundred years ago by the
Spanish Padres who came to plant the
Catholic faith on this coast. The building
Is perhaps 100 feet by so and the walls are
four feet thick built of adobe. There hangs
the old bell which called TIE wild Indian
10 yespers, ere the United States was born.
There sits the same chair brought over
from Spain, in which The priests sat to hear
confession. There is the the chsncel and
crucifx and holy water and unlghted can
dies aud many other relics of an ffste
worship. The walls are N good State of
preservation and are hung with pictures Of
saints and Martyrs. Though we have
been taught to contemn the Catholic
gCb bOS hSlP OAO4ah5 NSA
silent thanks to the missionaries whose
beroism planted the Christian faith ON the
coast. Il is said that 10000 Indians were
employed in building this Cathedral and
the walls enclosing it. The temple still
stands, but where are the worshippers?
Receiving is life from Spain, it has faded
like Spanish civilization, leaving only me-
morals of former glory.
In hteE sAr, Of
San Louis Obispo, in the town of the same
name, built about 100 years ago. At the
foot of Santa Inez mountains lies the fast.
growii town of Santa Barba 3, one Of the
great sani!arians of The Pacific coast. 1t
is delightful spot AID is surrounded By
small bat very productive agricultural fruit
growing country. After leaving Santa
Barbara our road lies along the edge Of the
waves and at times the su would break
against our wagon wheels. One evening
we c1mped On little mound a few feet
from the OCEAN Night hung her crest of
stars over our heads, while the waves bor2
10 our bedside the beautiful shells CT the
deep, and lulled By tie inariiculate muir
murs Of 8 thousand wavelets, we fell
asleep, dreaming of "What are the wild
waves saying" The song Of the ocean,
ike the songs Oh our clluuOou, % hSFoI III
gotler. Last summer we stood upon the
All NJ C msrg5 and heard the moUrnful
dirge OF the sOrrow-baun'ed wave; now We
hear the same notes, incress d ~ multltu-
dinous waves, yet still q part Of the grand
anthem with which the ocean is ever greet
ing the shore.
AZ er nearly three weeks travel we stand
on the p OF San Fernando Mouotains and
view the valley of Los Angeles spread out
for many miles in the distance.
LOS ANGELES CITY AND COUNTY.
By reference to your map it will be seen
that the county of Los Angeles lies between
SO deg. Is min. and "a deg 30 min. north
latitude, and is one Of the central counties
Of Southern California, there being only one
county between it and Mexico. 1t con-
tains about 100000 acres Of land, one
fourth CT which is mountainous, leaving