Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-06-01

churches to one school-house; who would
rather have Z mule-track through the for
| est than railway leading to prosperous
! cities, and gloat over the sad spectacle OF
wasting revolutions and men Of the same
race shooting each other down because Of
theological and political distractions.
Soon after entering Mexican waters the
coast trends off in a southerly direction to
! Descanso Point, bluff about eighty feet
high, which some Mexican mariner, for
unknown reasons, named -" Point OF hest"
| \ few miles inland rises a low range Of
! hills and back of these loftier mountain
| chain, averaging 5000 feet in hight. From
Descanso Bay to SalsipudeS Pointare sandy
coasts, with an occasional rocky cliff, stand
| ing alone like a sentinel on duty. Even
| in mid-winter the mesa lands that slope TO
the sea are clothed in richest green and
iewelled with wild flowers, some of the
hills being yellow as gold to their very tops
with California peoples and oX-eye dasles.
The Captain tells us that hereabouts
there is no anchorage, the longest lines
having failed to find bottom only three
/ miles from shore. Some of the passengers
amuse themselves by trolling for Spanish
red and white flannel, making frequent
hauls Of fish weighing from eight to twelve
pounds. These di plomatic denizens of the
deep so near to the boundary line seem de-
termned to preserve Il strict neutrality, so
far as national colors are concerned, for
while they may be readily captured with
red and white, they utterly decline TO bite
at all if the blue Of the American flag is
added, or the green of the Mexican
Cape San Miguel, the northern limit Of
Todos Santos (All Saints bay, is bold
point, 200 feet high, backed by hills rising
tier above tier. Then comes Ensenada
Point-a tower-like bluff four hundred feet
high, with an enormous field of kelp at its
foot. These
GIGANTIC sEA-FLowERs
Sprawl and writhe over the water like so
many serpents, trailing their vines and
blossoms for miles, so thicllly in some
places that a canoe could hardly pene-
trate the mass. The hollow, beet-shaped
bulbs are gathered by the Chinese and
Indians and preserved or Candied in honey
or molasses, making dutcje not disagree
able to the taste, though something of the
ancient and tishy odor of sea growths
clings to it still.
From Ensenada Point to Punta Banda
the coast curves around in semi-circular
form, with Todos Santos Bay between.
A rocky headland is Punta Banda, run
ming abruptly out of the water 800 feet.
East of it is low sand-beach, fanked by
mountains. Numerous detached rocks
line the southern shore, and from its cliff
a rocky ledge extends far out into the sea-
This was famous whaling station in
former years and tons of big bones lie
bleaching on the beach Between Punta
Banda and Ensenada town, Just back of
the celebrated beach drive, we can see
the much-advertised but embryo city of
San Carlos, consisting of exactly two
houses, handsome ones, however,, whose
present ownership is uncertain. The city
of the future, in theory if not in fact, is
indicated by long stretch of flower
strewn valley carefully staked out into
lots. Broad avenues, running over the
hills to nowhere, are kept carefully
cleared of weeds and under-brush, but
nothing can keep down
THE IRREPRESsIBLE WILD FLOWERS,
That run out over the whole peninsula as
freely as in the days of Aztec dreamhood,
before busy-brained spectators undertook
to transform it into Yankee metropolis.
There is Diaz avenue and SissOa avenue
and many more, all richly carpeted with
myriads of small yellow blossoms spring
ing as close together as their tiny stems
can stand. No wonder that California,
Upper and Lower, has been dubbed The
Golden State" the Land of Gold,' etc,
when even its highways and byways are
thus paved with gold.
Around a point of projecting rocks,
where foam-capped waves make music on
the shore, the vessel is closely steered-up
to the very long piers of Ensenada. This
is the only pier we shall encounter in all
our southwark journey, so we will make
the most of it by going ashore Every
other port, all around the peninsula and
down the western coast of Mexico, has 10
such convenience for sca-going travellers.
Vessels anchor a long distance out from
shore, and if passengers insist upon land
ing they must Chamber down over the side
of the ship into tiny boats tossing beneath
and be rowed ashore, at the risk of a wet
ting in the surf. In such an emergency it
is best to make a bargain for the round
trip with the bare-legged, bare-headed
native who rows YOU ashore in his dug-out
or canoe, for he knows more than his APP
pearance would indicate. He may charge
you p cents to take you ashore and s. to
bring you back again, knowing that come
back YOU must and will, at any price.
FANNIE B. WARD.