Year: 1875

Matters and Things.


When it was announced the team
was to go to "Wood's Cafion,n / was
ready for the expedition, and with a
well-filled lunch pail, mounted the
high seat of the great farm wagon
with some pride at the feat and we
started off Pride must have a fall.
The principle is as fixed as the most
inexorable law of nature; and, in my
case, the fall was literal and sure. On
driving past neighbours, we were
suddenly aware of a clothes-line
stretched across our line of march a
little above the height of the wagon.
| never was quick at expedents; it
did not even occur to me that | could
raise the barrier with my hand, but
like the ostrich, covered my eyes to
avoid seeing the danger, and y well,
the shouts of laughter from certain
witnesses and my nicely balanced po-
sition across the back of that seat, tell
the tale. For the credit of humanity,
however, l will say, the lookers-o on did
suppress their merriment sufficiently
to place me in an upright position;
but L am forced to cry, "Alas, for the
rarity of human sympathy, as we'll
as "charity, under the sum-" and [ do
hope to be able to survive the ridicule
consequent upon that affair. But,
again under way, we rode for miles
over a rich, fertile plain. The first
part of the way the farmers seemed to
devote their land more especially to
the cultivation of the vine, and young
orange orchards were in thriving
condition. Further on were broad
fields of grain, already a luXuriant
green, and fields newly turned by the
gang-plows, showing what one might
expect to see month or two later,
while the tasteful dwellings and COM
modious barns gave evidence of the
thrift and intelligence of the inhabit-
ants. AS these were passed there came
as by regular gradations the rich pas
ture lands of thousands and thousands
of sheep, whose tinkling bells and
loud bleating had an oriental sound,
and we were aware of the almost i'm
perceptible change in the features of
the landscape. First came gentle
swell, then rolling hills with grass as
smoothly shaven rs a lawn to their
very tops, and at last we are drawn
gradually into the canon itself, with
the dimpled green hills upon one side,
and on the other the brown, precipi-
tous heights. Here are great punches
Of cactus, brilliant tufts of scarlet sage,
patches of elders and southernwood
that relieve their sombre look, and
whose SUBMITS almost reach the clouds
upon the other. Yes, and here are the
walls of an old stone house, part way
up the hill and just beyond the grass
line; solid and square, with a huge
chimney at the back, the walls appar-
emily laid in lime mortar. | marvel
greatly who aud what manner of per-
son it could be who built for himself
so substantial dwelling so far from
the busy haunts of men. But the
walls tell no tales, and | am forced to
turn away with my curiosity unsatis-
fled. All around are great patches of
asphaltum that oozing from the
ground in black streams cools, form
ing thick, hard crust. When broken,
this resent bles somewhat mineral coal,
and in one place the surface of the
earth has been broken and you look
down as III well filled with the inky
black liquid. 1t has an uncaney look
as though it might belong to
the Internal regions below, and
The wonder is that in a country
where fuel and timber are SO scarce
this article is not more generally util-
ized. Who knows but there are coal
beds underneath which here would be
as valuable as coal mine? While for
roofing and pavements the asphaltum
Itself must be useful. BY a refining
process petroleum could be manufac-
tured. Not always will these black
beds remain undisturbed, save by the
economical farmers who strives to
exc out his scanty supply of fuel by
using it for that purpose.


just before our return | climbed the
high hill for a grand view of the sur
rounding country, and felt well paid
for the trouble. Like broad panora-
ma the whole plain was at my feet
dotted with farm houses here and
there with the trees of Anaheim look
ing in the distance like the bare masts
of shipping in the harbor, while far
beyond lay the silvery shimmering
sea.


The homeward side was exceedingly
pleasant with some slight drawbacks.
We would like to enter a protest
against farmers drawing the water
from their artesian wells into the
highway causing the mud to be three
or four feet deep, and travelling, to say
the least, not conducive to a Christian
frame of mind. PLILLIS.


Anaheim, February Goth.