Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-04-06

rear of the receiving and paying tellers
thousands and hundreds OF thousands o
dollars in shining double eagles, and sacks
OF silver half dollars; and frequently out
side OF the counters upon the floor, piles o
silver bricks too heavy for thief to rur
away with, and TASKS OF quicksilver which
are dealt in by banks or used as collatera
for coin. So averse to PAPER money is The
average Californian that checks upon banks
are little used except for large transactions
and merchants and bank collectors take
along their coin bags as regularly as theii
statements. Upon collection aud ront days
once month, about every other man one
meets has a sack Of coin on his shoulder
Even the banks have until quite lately set
tied their balances between each other dai-
ly in coin. They have now established a
clearing house, which is more sensible and
convenient. 1 will conclude my chapter
upon money by saying that nickels and
coppers are unknown here; that dime is
the smallest coin that Is looked upon with
any degree Of respect, half dimes being
very scarce; that Nevada is called the Sill
yer State, though its mines produce bull
lion which averages about one-half in bal.
ue mot in avoirdupos) gold, and one-half
silver. California is called the Golden State
because her mines of precious metals pro-
duce gold principally. We hear less OF the
California gold mines because the owners
seldom sell any OF their stock it is too val
liable TO be thrown upon the market. They
go on working their mines economically
and legitimately, as the Pennsylvanians
work their coal mines, pocket their profits,
and say nothing. When we speak of the
Pacific slope as being tributary 10 the COM
merce, trade and manufactures of San
Francisco, we include not only Washing
ton Territory, Oregon and California, but
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Ari-
zona.
Every branch of manufacturing in
dustry which can be made TO pay seems to
have been entered into. 1 will instance
the Mission Woolen Mills which is very
large establishment the Rolling Mills,
which produce heavy shafting, beams,
plates and rails, several sugar retineres,
acid works, rope walks, watch factory,
foundries and machine shops, carriage fac
tories, furniture and all kinds of wood
working establishments, boot and shoe fac
tories, patent brick companies, potteries.
salt works, etc. There may he some un-
coupled fields for manufacturers TO fill, but
the fields which await to welcome the far
mer and cattle raiser are broader and more
promising. How humanity fiocks to great
cities in these latter days. How thousands
of tn able bodied crowd about The gas
lights, unable to obtain employment, until
they must beg, steal or slarve, when the
b road fields of the adjacent country offer
them independence and competence. Why
is this thusH 1propose the question la Ar
emus Ward as conundrum which will
not attempt TO answer myself
But TO continue my description, will
say We have our great Central or Golden
Gate park, of thousand acres more or less.
It's Improvements are yet in embryo and
aside from few acres of lawn and gravel
led walks, 1t consists in an excellent macad-
amized drive through it 10 the ocean and the
Cliff House. From the piazza of this hotel,
W hich is built upon rocky cliff overhang-
ing the surf and high above it, can be seen
any day, only pistol shot distant, hun
dreds of wild seals aud sea lions, playing
in the waves, or basking in the sun, upon
two or three rocky islands. They do not
appear TO be an altogether happy family,
for above the roar Of the surf can be heard
til cir peculiar growls and barking. Some
of the sea lions, distinct species, by the
way, from the seal, are 80 large and fat
ghnnl1 think ihay xraigh n
poun ds each, perhaps more. They are ac-
counted great injury 10 the fisheries, as
the fishermen say they each require, and in
fact do catch aud consume, a barrel of fish
per day. They are useless, believe, ex-
cept as free, novel, public wild beast
show, and some city or State law, for that
purpose only, protects them from disturb
protect themselves, and, besides, their rocky
home is rendered almost inaccessible by
th @ high surf.
We have bne other institution, which,
because of its extent and combination OF
interesting sights and instructive curiosi-
tes, l will attempt to describe. 1t is called
Woodward's Gardens, and occupies ground
" AhO VI olA VI ClSuN blOShsy III
the immediate suburbs. 1t is private en-
terprise, inaugurated by Mr.. Woodward,
who is our Barnum, but the price of admis-
sion to all the sights and performances is
cheap enough, being only twenty-fi five cents
for adults aud len cents for children. 1t is
beautifully laid out in lawns, winding
paths, flower beds, and miniature lakes,
f,ann ai aHa n taC CnE a lnA hxyo
thick hedge of tall evergreen trees, and
many luxuriant shade trees, unfamiliar to
me, flourish within. 1t has a museum
building filled with curiosities, minerals,
SHELLS, coral, stuffed animals, and the larg-
est and handsomest collection of stuffed
birds ever saw. The beauty Of their plu-
mage and the almost endless variety Of
their size, shape and peculiar 'get up was
to me a perfect wonder. A majority OF
them came from that paradise of birds,
South America. In an adjoining building
is an interesting gallery OF paintings, and
leading from this are three large conserva-
tories filled with rare and lovely flowers
and tropical plants in great variety.
Among them, in flower and fruit, are the
orange, lemon, banana, pineapple, date,
palm and olive, Victoria regia, century
plant, Holy Ghost flower, and cactus in va
riety. Another conservatory is called the
fernery. The uniform color of its delicate
but multiform foliage, forms a pleasing
contrast to the brilliant blossoms in the
other conservatories. In another part of
the gardens is a Photographic art gallery
where may be seen large views Of the won
ders of the Yosemite Valley, the Geysers,
and other interesting scenes taken from
nature upon the Pacific slope. Beneath
this gallery. partially below ground, is a
cave-like apartment called the aquarium.
1t is illumined only by the light which