The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-10-11
SAN FRANCISCO LETTER
From Our Special Correspondent.

san FRANCISCO CAL, Sept. 10, 50.
The Princess Louise and the Mar
quis of Lorne have been visiting
San Francisco, which, in the year
her Royal Highness was born, was
city Just twelve months old. contain
ing about a thousand inhabitants,
mainly denizens of the old Hispano
Indian mission village of Yerba
Buena, but which now boasts of Il
population exceeding three hundred
thousand souls. The Governor-Gen-
eral OF the Dominion of Canada has
been lodged at the Colossal Hotel
built by Senator Sharon, Of Nevada,
and the exalted guests were waited
upon by a deputation from the
British residents in San Francisco,
who presented them with a loyal
address. The Viceregal train had
been detained at Sacramento City
BY slight accident. The train came
in collision with & locomotive in
the yard Of the depot and the Prin-
cess, who was making her toilet, was
thrown down by the shock of the
conclusion. Happily, however, she
received no injury beyond few tri-
/ fling bruises, and these, under the
influence of the very emollient at
mOsphere Ofthe Golden State. should
very swiftly pass away. Thirty
years ago a pioneer traveller in Cal
ifornia. published a book raptur-
ously eulogisinc all and everything
TO be found in the newly prospected
region. He bestowed unstinted
praise on the vast region recently
ceded by Mexico to the United
States. He discanted on the aurif
erous wealth of the Pacific slope, on
her fertile soil, and teeming waters.
and he wound up his panegyric by
declaring that the wild beasts of Cal
ifornia were the tamest that he had
ever met with, and hat the climate
was eminently favorable to the cure
of gunshot wounds. Now, the quail
ity of the climate of California, has
been the subject Of an animated
controversy these many years past. |
That of san Francisco may be de- /
scribed as peculiar" 1t is equable
on the whole, there being no great |
range of temperature, and the diff /
ference between winter and summer /
is small Rain falls only in the win
try months of the year, and the av-
erage rainfall does not much exceed 4
one half OF the amount which drops /
on the Atlantic coast. The atmOs-
phere in winter Is quite moist, and 4
although in summer it Is apparently /
dry, it is found that during the long /
est periods OF drought, pianOfortes.
furniture and other woodwork, do
not shrink as much as they are apt I
10 do in tropical climates. Frost is
rare. and the solder fiend," as the
plumber IS termed in the Eastern
States, is very seldom called in to
repair bursted water pipes. Finally,
San Francisco is a slightly foggy
city. 4 misty haze, resembling that
of '.lndian Summer" hangs over the
bay during the forenoon, and the
atmosphere is not often so clear that
Monte Diablo and the hills of Con-
ira Costa can be clearly seen. Ladies
from the East are warned that if
they wear lace mantillas at midday
they had best don sealskin mantles
after sunset bet opinion Is tolera-
bly unanimous that there is a spring
mess, vitality. an elasticity, and an
exhiIiratiye properly in the air which
is only equaled by that Of Athens
Slight colds and catarrhs are preva-