Year: 1871

Autumn instead of in new garments of bright
green, of pastures parched thirsty and barren,
instead of rich in succulent grasses and brilliant
with flowers, of cattle dying by thousands in
stead of grazing in sleek fatness, of the precious
grain seeds choked beneath the surface, shriv-
elled and rotting, instead of ripening into boun-
tiful harvests, of the State ruined and pauper-
lied instead of growing in riches and prosperity.
In the centre of this dreary picture stands the
spectre Drought, at his feet a dried up water
course strewn with the useless implements of
mining industry, and above his head an ex-
panse of sun lit sky, blue and beautiful but
hopeless in its coudessness. The first drops of
rain that dampen Montgomery street dissipate
this black vision Of evil to be and the forebod-
ing of calamity passes away for another year.
This has been the condition of things this last
week, and so it was last January and so it has
been every other January since | can remember,
and it is likely to be for all other Januaries to
come, until Elder Grants New Jerusalem is es-
tablished and prophets of good and prophets of
evil alike cease to be. So having got over our
annual croaking the future seems to have very
psrcepubly frightened and d more general feel
ing of cheerfuness peryades all circles than for
several months past.


LOWER CALIFORNIA COLONIZATION SCHEME.


There has been quite an exodus from this city
during the last few weeks for the colony of Mag
dalena Bay, Lower California. Five or six
schooners have cleared for there with full COM
pliments of passengers and the Panama steamers
which now touch at the settlement carry num-
bers bound for that place by every trip. Our To-
cal journals are doing all they can to discour-
age emigration thther and it really does seem
foolish for people to build up homes under the
uncertain shadows of the Mexican flag, when
there is plenty of land still open to pre-emption
in this State. But the colored picture
painted by the projectors of the colonization
scheme is so attractive that all warnings are
unheeded, and if the departures continue to be
as numerous as of late the "City of Cortez"-a
the focal point Of the settlement is called-will
have a thousand inhabitants before the year is
out 1t is yet disputed point whether Lower
California is good for anything as an agricultu-
raj country. According to it is nothing





it to be land rich and fertile as any on the face
of the earth If the latter should prove to be
the case, it will not be long before there is an
agitation for a change of ownership over the
whole Peninsula. Such men as Ben. Butler,
Caleb Cushing, Reyerdy Johnson, Leonard Jer-
ONE, Geo. Wilkes, Ben. Holiday j. w. Forney
and others Of similar influence do not lend their
names TO a simple colonization project without
having sundry views of their own about "Mani-
fest destiny in the extension of empire"


THE POLITICAL HOROSCOPE.


Governor Haight's letter to Senator Minis an
nouncing that be will be a candidate for renom-
ination, appears to give satisfaction to both po-
ltical parties. Democrats believe that under
his leadership the German vote-at present es-
tranged from the Democratic party on account
of its sympathy with the French cause-can be
easily won back, and that this supplementug
the anti-ralroadists, and added to Mr.. Haight's
personal popularity will enable them to carry
the State by n comfortable majority Republi-
cans here also profess to be pleased at the pros
pect They say that the Governors past record
affords such salient points of attack, especially
his course in connection with the litigant and
lottery acts, that they would prefer to have him
as an opponent to any other man that the con-
vention could nominate.


REPUBLICAN PROSPECTS.


But notwithstanding this real or assumed sat
sfaction on the part of prominent Republican
politicians the outlook for the party cannot be
said to be particularly brilliant. In proof of
this it may be mentioned that the San Francisco
slate makers and convention manipulators have
given up the idea of nominating an out and out
Republican, they figure that such course
would involve strict party vote with the GER
tainty of finding their eight or ten thou
sand in the minority. They have therefore CEN
tered on Mayor Selby hoping that by opposing
Democrat to Democrat enough votes will be Sc
cured from the ranks of their opponents to in
sure victory. This arrangement is not likely
to suit interior delegates, but it is thought that
when the situation is explained to them, they
will sec that it is absolutely necessary-indeed
that such plan is the only one that affords
chance of success


LOW PRESSURE HONESTY.


California honesty seems invaribly to collapse
under the pressure of $4,000. Very often it will
not stand that amount. Cases have been known
where the hundredth part of that sum proved too
much but as general thing official in re-
ceipt OF good salary with perquisites will bear
that pressure The latest illustration of this
proposition is Mr.. Stewart, proprietor of an in
sttution called The Sailors Home" He got
along very well until the amount of money de-
30 900, then the strain became too great, hon
esty yielded and he hurried off to the Springs
This Seaman's Home," was established some
years ago by coterie of ladies, but after run
ming it for some time. they sold out TO Stewart