ich is the saponaceous portion of the plant,
resembles the onion, but possesses the quality of cleansing linen equal
to any "oleic soap" manufactured by my friends Cornwall and Brother, of
Louisville, Ky.

There is another plant in high estimation with the Californians, called
_canchalagua_, which is held by them as an antidote for all the
diseases to which they are subject, but in particular for cases of
fever and ague. For purifying the blood, and regulating the system, I
think it surpasses all the medicinal herbs that have been brought into
notice, and it must become, in time, one of the most important articles
in the practice of medicine. In the season for flowers, which is
generally during the months of May and June, its pretty pink-coloured
blossoms form a conspicuous display in the great variety which adorn
the fields of California.

The water-power in California is ample for any required mill purposes.
Timber for lumber is not so convenient as is desirable. There is,
however, a sufficiency of it, which, when improvements are made, will
be more accessible. The timber on the Sierra Nevada, the most
magnificent in the world, cannot be, at present, available. The
evergreen oak, that grows generally in the valleys, is not valuable,
except for fuel. But in the _canadas_ of the hills, and at several
places on the coast, particularly at Santa Cruz and Bodega, there is an
amount of pine and fir, adapted for lumber, that will not be consumed
for a long time.

The religion of the Californians is the Roman Catholic, and, like the
people of all Roman Catholic countries, they appear to be devotedly
attached to the forms of their religion. That there are some, I will
not say how many, paganish grafts upon the laws, formalities, and
ceremonies, as prescribed by the "Holy Church Universal" for its
government and observance, is undeniable, but these probably do not
materially affect the system. The females, I noticed, were nearly all
devoutly attached to their religious institutions. I have seen, on
festival or saint days, the entire floor of a church occupied by pious
women, with their children, kneeling in devout worship, and chanting
with much fervency some dismal hymn appertaining to the service. There
are but few of the Jesuit fathers who established the missions now
remaining in the country. The services are performed at several of the
churches that I visited, by native Indians, educated by the _padres_
previous to thei