t of Ohio men, most of
them from Richland county, whom we knew. San Buenaventura is the
county seat of Ventura county, with about 2,000 inhabitants. It
is an interesting place, its chief ornament being an old mission
built in 1784. We there visited a loan exhibition and floral
display under the management of the ladies of the village and
surrounding country, and saw the evidences of a semi-tropical
climate, magnificent palm tress, and the orange, the lemon and the
lime. From this place to Santa Barbara the drive was mainly along
the beach. Passing from the beach we entered upon a beautiful
country, and so proceeded all the way into Santa Barbara, through
charming valleys and under pleasant skies.

At Santa Barbara we were welcomed by Colonel Hollister, a native
of Ohio and a ranchero of California, whom, as already related, I
had met under similar circumstance thirteen years previous. We
stopped at a hotel owned by him and for four days were his guests.
He had settled on a tract of country west of Santa Barbara, and
had become the owner of a ranch of 48,000 acres as well as extensive
property in Santa Barbara and other places. We visited him at Glen
Annie after a drive of a few miles in an open carriage, all the
way within view of the sea and the mountains, through valleys
cultivated like gardens, under a bright sky in pure air. On the
foot hills were grazing herds of cattle, flocks of sheep and droves
of horses. On either side of the carriage road were groves of the
English walnut, orange, lemon, lime, apricot, peach, apple, cherry,
the date palm and olive trees, with acres and acres of vineyards,
and now and then a park of live oak. The mansion of Glen Annie
was surrounded by a bower of flowers and vines. From the porch we
could see the sea. This was the second time I had been at Santa
Barbara and I always remember it as perhaps the most pleasing
combination of scenery I have ever witnessed. We spent a very
pleasant hour with Mr. Stoddard and family, who had removed from
Ohio some years before to that delightful part of our country.
From Santa Barbara we went by steamer to Wilmington and San Pedro
and then returned to Los Angeles through a beautiful country. From
thence we went to San Francisco by rail through a country that
seemed absolutely worthless except now and then there were small
valleys highly cultivated. In the early morning we were in the
valley of the San Joaquin, where wide fields extend