cture of Confucius,
before which he burned scented wood; and hanging over it was an
air-castle, with the motto, "God is Love."

We visited one day an interesting-looking old house, near our quarter of
the town, to see if we could live in it. It was one of the finest there
before the place became Americanized, and belonged to an old Spanish
don. It stands in the centre of spacious and beautiful grounds, and the
avenue leading to it is bordered with olive-trees, which were in bloom.
There was a curious, delicate fragrance in the air, quite new to me,
which I attributed to them. It was as different from all other odors, as
their color is from that of all other trees. They have a little greenish
blossom, something like a daphne, and the foliage is of beautiful shades
of gray-green, from an almost black to light silvery color. They seem
like old Spaniards themselves, they have such an ancient, reserved look.
Two magnificent pepper-trees, with their light, graceful foliage
trailing from the branches, stand near the door. The house is shut in
with dark heavy porches on all sides, and covered with vines. The
windows are in such deep recesses, owing to the great thickness of the
walls of the house, that the rooms were but dimly lighted, although it
was early in the afternoon. Some of the windows are of stained glass,
and others of ground glass, to lessen the light still more. It is an
adobe house; and the walls are so damp that I gave up all idea of living
in it, as soon as I laid my hand on them. The Spaniards, I see, all
build their houses on a plan that originated in a hot country, where the
idea of comfort was all of coolness and shade. This house, and the one
opposite where we lived, are covered with passion-flowers. Near the
latter are two dark evergreen-trees,--the Santa Cruz spruce,--trimmed so
as to be very stiff and straight, standing like dark wardens before the
door. There is a hedge of pomegranate, with its flame-like flowers,
which seem to be filled with light. The pepper-tree abounds in Santa
Barbara, and the eucalyptus is being planted a good deal. It has a
special power to absorb malaria from the air, and makes unhealthy places
wholesome.

XIII.

Our Aerie.--The Bay and the Hills.--The Little
Gnome.--Earthquake.--Temporary Residents.--The
Trade-Wind.--Seal-Rocks.--Farallon Islands.--Exhilarating
Air.--Approach of Summer.--Centennial
Procession.--Suicides.--Mission Dolores.--Fat