Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-12-16
A Visitors Impressiens.

| Nis ~. r. .AOuuV Lao OSCh WiiV-
Ing to tie Waterbury Conn.,
american his impressions of q
months sojourn in Southern Cali
fornIa. OF Los Angeles he says:
This "City of the Angelsp is the
principal town Of Southern Cali.
fornia, and is an important station
on the Southern Pacific Railroad
by which 1t has ready communica-
tion with San Francisco, Arizona
aud the rest of the world. A branch
road to Wilmington, twenty-three
miles distant, connects also with
the semi-weekly line Of coasting
steamers running from San Fran
cisco to San Diego and calling at
intermediate ports. 1t has good
hotels, handsome business blocks
and churches. and is noticeable for
it's many tasteful, embowered cot
tage homes. The present popula-
tion is said to be about 10, 900. 1t is
certainly pleasant town and beau
tiiul for situation. A portion of
the city Is built on abruptly rising
ground, terrace above terrace.
Bishop Haven, viewing it from the
grounds of his friend, Judge Hub
bell, situated on the higher eleva-
tion, has thus glowiDgly described
1t, comparing 1T to Damascus, the
oriental Jewel of the Desert"
Here follows Bishop Gilbert
Haven's ecstatic description of our
city, which we have heretofore
published. Mr.. Abbott concludes
his remarks about the city proper
by saying:
Residents here who for the past
three or four years h ave been strug-
Cling with hard times and business
stagDation and depreciating val
ues and mortgage debts admit that
the Bishops description is very
rose colored, but to one who is
called as q visitor TO see only the
attractions of the place his eulogy
is hardly open to criticism.
| or Santa Monica he has these
pleasant notes:
This fine seaside resort lies about
midway on the coast between
Santa Barbara and San Diego and
about sixteen miles west from Los
Angeles, with which 1t is connect
ed by q railroad now owned by the
Southern Pacific company. The
company had for q time u wharf
here extending out to deep water,
aud permitting it to be u stopping
place for the San Francisco and
other vessels. Lots and lands were
bought at large prices and build
ings erected in expectation that the
city, laid out on paper, was to
be an important commercial
emporium as we'll as s'the
Long Branch of the Pacific.n
For some inscrutable reason the
railroad company have since dis
mantled the deep water portion OF
the wharf, rendering 1t impractica-
BILE as a landing place. AS conse-
quence of this and of the general
financial depression the embryo
town has a wilted appearance aud
a dubious outlook for the future so
far as commerce is concerned. But
as q seaside sanitarium it has, so
far as my observation extends, no
equal on this coast or in this coun-
try. Readily accessible by rail,
climate delightful, miles of the
sm oothest, cieanest beach, o fine
surf, clean, quite homelike hotel
Qhe Santa Monica hotel, kept by
u gentlemanly proprietor, Mr.. M.
ID. Johnson), situated directly on
the bluff overlooking the sea, nice
bathing houses. and arrangements
for indoor baths, either salt or
fresh, and of any desired tempera-
ture-it is just the place for tue re-
covery of the invalid and the rein
vigoration of the overworked and
weary, also a pleasant place of
summer or winter recreation for
those who prefer quiet comfort to
the hustle and fashion of the
crowded popular resorts of the At
Iantic coast. L anticipate that by
and by the bluffs here will be lined
with great hotels and the now dull
streets with handsome cottages
owned by wealthy visitors, and
that it will be indeed, as it has al
ready been named, "the Long
Branch of the Pacific" and it is
not impossible that its wharf will
yet be rebuilt and a sea wall made
to enclose an anchorage that shall
be safe and ample, aud Santa Mo-
MICA become commercial rival of
San Francisco and San Die 60, the
western terminus of one or more of
the great competing railroads now
pushing to connect the Pacific
Coast with the Atlantic States.
Like Bishop Haven, he was very
pleasantly impressed with Pasa-
depa, as the following shows:
1 will not trespass on your space
to relate my visit to the Pasadena
Colony settlement, about nine
miles north of Los Angeles, and the
pleasant day [ spent there and in
the San Gabriel valley adjoining
among orange groves, vineyards,
orchards, flowers and tasteful cot
tage homes. Suffice it to say that
here and in several similar colonies
is to be seen a prophecy Of what q
iaiSo Paio VI ehio ooCtiou VI tue
State may become in the near fu'
ture, great garden of perpetual
verdure, fruitfulness and bloom, In
a climate where for nine-tenths oi
the days of the year the doors and
windows may be open, the children
play in the open air, the invalid
sit in the sunshine, and the hus-
bandman pursue his avocation
This Ia not to be attained in the fu'
ture any more than in the past
without exacting labor, sacrifice
and, in many cases, disappoint-
ment. Improvements will be COM
menced by those unable to com
plete them, or to support them
selves till their labor of planting
and irrigating brings returns, and
lOfhara will aptpr info tho frIlit nj