Year: 1875

Tie following is taken from Ben Tru-
mans Semi Tropical California, and is
as true of Santa Barbara as it is of Los
Angeles:


What is winter, indeed, in almost
every portion of the temperate zone
north, elsewhere, is here the perfection of
what is agreeable and health-inspiring.
The winter solstice partakes of that
charming interlude of weather between
the Eastern autumn and winter called
Indian summer. The same balmy
zephyrs breathe delicious atmosphere
from October to March, While all is
rude, and cold, and leafless, and flower
less, and changeable in all the states
east of the Sierras, in Los Angeles, wind
and weather are almost perfection; and
heaven and earth seemingly conspire in
sunshine and blue sky, in leaf and
blossom and golden fruit, to make this
period the very crown of the year.
From the plaza, down through the long,
haZy sweep of the main thoroughfare of
the city, all is wrapped in verdure and
bloom. The bright pepper, acacia and
eucalyptus trees stand full against the
darkness of the orange and the lemon,
the latter shedding luster rather. than
shadow, however, from all sides of their
gracefully penciled towers of everlasting
LEAKAGE. The grass in the gardens, on
each hand, is like the "freshly broken
emeralds" that Dante saw; hyacinths
and tube-roses are springing up, aud
every slope is inhabited by modest
members of the flowery kingdom, while
the ivy and honeysuckles that climb
over the porches of pleasant domestic
ii 10,
growth; and everywhere there are
roses-such roses as rival those of P8s-
tum or of the Bosphorus-white, cream,
blood-red, and plush-freighting the
very atmosphere with their incompar-
able odOrs and aromatic sweets.


The drives which abound are pleasant,
historical and exhilarating. You may
drive out to the delightful orange groves
of the Stoneman's, the Wilson's, the
Kewen's and the Roses, and feast your
eyes upon a miniature Paradise, and a
cluster of gardens only approached po-
etically by what Aladdin's might have
been; or you may visit the old church
of San Gabriel, where the splash of
fountain mingled its melody with the
chants of neophytes long before the
close of the hostilities which secured US
national fame and freedom; or you may
dash down to beach where the foam
ing billows of the Pacific roll distantly
away to tropical southern sea; and
when you return by the soft starlight of
heavens imperishable garniture, you
may sit in the GOODNESS of the evening,
away into the twilight shadows, until
there comes stealing upon nocturnal
zephyrs the Tavishing sweetness of myr-
lads of flowers, which lose their fra
GRANGE in lifting their cups to catch
the dew which falls from heaven;
and you may listen to the uncaged
mOcking-bird in every grove, and in
almost every garden, as it makes night
musical with the mimic notes of the
whole tribe of feathered songsters at
rest-a warbling that only ceases upon
the piping of the linnet, which thrills
the city with its morning songs.


This is picture of Los Angeles in win
ter There is no unwarranted color nor
exageratiOn about it; in fact, the story
of this delightful city is not all told it
would take volumes to do it in detail
have yet to meet a person not charmed
with Los Angeles-especially in winter.