The weekly Arizona miner., 1881-10-28
Letter From Hon T J. Butler.
oAkLAxp. Oct. g. 1851.


 write about, l sit myself down to pencil a
 few of the many disso!ving views that seem
 to bass before the vision of one who ls merely an idler, a loOker-on in Venice, .-a
 1t were, and not an actor in the drama.
 Commencing then where I left od,--we
 took passage on Foss' stage from the Gey-
 sers or the morning after writing my letter
 from that place, the date of which haven
 the slightest recollection, as take no notes
 nor keep any diary, but I remember dis-
 tinctly that before We had zone a quarter oi
 a mile from the hotel We were halted by a
 man in the thick brush by the roadside. who commanded the driver to hold his team per
 fectly still, and admonished the passengers
 not to move. A glance in the direction oi
 the voice revealed the muzzle of what might
 have been blJnder-bus, but was really a
 photographers camera, protruding from the
 dense foliage of a bunch 0: bay bushes.
 Having complied with his request. he ex-
 plained that he was San Francisco artist,
 and gave us his number in the city, where
 we might call and purchase the picture,
 which, by the way, We have since done. 1t
 will be seen that the pronoun ''we" Is ire quently used ill these letters, a custom
 which fell into during my editorial eXpe- rionce, but which, until now, never en- dorsed, nor so fully appreciated.
 In going the first six miles from the Gey- sers an elevation of 1000 feet is attained, and although the road has been so well en- gineercd and graded that no steep or diff cult places are encountered, It is neverthe- le,s, narrow, and in some places the outlook on the gorge or canyon of Russian River
 below is really frightful. Should wheel break or the harness give way so as to run
 tho stage of the grace there IS no such
 thing as guessing what the consequences
 would be. Trusting however, to the skill of the driver, whose name IS Safely" and no accident has ever happened on Foss line,
 we banish fear and enjoy the sublimity Of the scene to the fullest extent.
 Reaching the summit of the mountain We find ourselves in the midst of the Sonoma and Napa quicksilver district. whore few years ago all was life and activity, but where now nothing but dcstcrted camps an Il ruins of furnace: by the road side Ie- main to remind tue traveller that suchan in- dustry ever existed. Decline in the price of quicksilver Is given as a reason why the works are lot still in full blas, Twenty miles from the Gcysers brings Us to Foss station and dinner. the best hote. meal uc have enjoyed since leaving the Baldwin. Here old Foss himself, ths celebrated Caiis- tpga and Geysers driver, mounted tas coach and held the reiRs ,p Cd,stoga, six miles and as my better-half and self btin. houoreo with seat beside him on the buN. wele re- galed by rambling account oi his wonder flu! exploits as 4 driver and stage I.oplie,or "'s. as @'''a as eiFctis '''f- e.t'7.''ic c ms
 We are now at Cal,sJogI, and Instead ol remaining over day or two, have decided to take the afternoon train f4r Napa y.a St. Helena and Younuil. Nals Valley from Callstoga k, almost, one continuous vineyard, with here and there, at short in- tervals, hGge wine factories CT "Wincrics. as they are called and an occasional brandy distillery. where WAS assured, by Nsra merchant, that majority of the imported French brandy" sold in San Francisco, is made, and that millions Of gallons are sent to New York and other Eastern cities aaf sold for French brandy.
 We remained two days in Napa: visited the Branch Insane Asylum, drove all about | the city and out five miles to the celebrated Napa Soda Springs, where ws drank the natural soda water from the springs and . the process of bottiing it for mar ket Hundreds of dozens are bottled dail. and sent to San Francisco for sale in It's nat ural state, just as it bubbles up from na- lures great laboratory in the interior of the earth
 Next to the natural soda fountain the most remarkable thing we saw vas G stone building at the springs, built by some for ner owner, who had mo!e money than )rains, at an expense of certainly not less han tsH or fifteen thousand dollars. The tails are all beautifully finished in pannel york, and surround spacious circular !..ll 'ith seating capacity of several hundred 'er,ons, besides gallery that will accomno- i.te as many more, TAe managers are pro ided with automatic feeders fer grain, hay f nd water, and the hall was intended f,l alls. parties, socials and public meetings. , Why the projector desired to mix up horses nd people i'll one building 1 c4ti.ot ilnag- { le, suffice 1t to say that 1t is not used for e ny purpose and stands there as a monument 9 , ths folly of man whose name have ! 'rgotten. Prom Napa our route by stag " over a succession of rolling hil, ti.at d. !, de Napa from Sonoma valley, of which the q q toS;r af Sonoma Is the tIade-centcr. and | hiclI place ne reachvI after trsyeliusa dig q nee of thirteen miles Hele u Was tnai C e old Bear Flag was raised ill ISiG and m. E. Ide declared California free and in6e- |, ndent, that she severed i:,s allegiance t3 jr exlco, and proclaimed himself Oogr:u.r k the rebpulic Captain Fremont. oac-.r. opening to he ill the Sacramento v.l..v ., tn corIpany uf esp'-I.is. N.s s,ut s... noma by the [. :. autaoli.,r, .r 1.Y-, ray. with instructions tp have tig ir.. p 5 replaced hy the sta.s and strqc,. which VI $ accordingly done. and lie and Lis Ia..v Il, ned the |. s. forces n i.-.r operations v llnst the Mezicans uud,. t2si.. ,u5 NaI- D.. 0. The cd .iac-s;ati s.., boz. tie :.... .. 2 still stands ill rhe plaza ;, Suu..la I.ravlng Nunuma neNt m..l.... ny L.