er the Mexicans.--American
Conquest.--Sinews of foreign Wars.--A Protestant and religious
War.--Early Settlers compared.--Mexico in the Heyday of
Prosperity.--Rich Costume of the Women.--Superstitious Worship.--When
I first saw California.--Lawyers without Laws.--A primitive
Court.--A Territorial Judge in San Francisco.--Mistaken
Philanthropy.--Mexican Side of the Picture.--Great Alms.--City
of Mexico overwhelmed by a Water-spout.--The Superiority of
Californians.

I can not enter the valley of Mexico, and there discuss the various
subjects that present themselves, without first gathering from
California the data that will elucidate the condition of a country
abounding in precious metals.

MEXICAN CALIFORNIA.

There is a striking dissimilarity between the two Californias. The
American State of California is as celebrated for its fertility as for
its mineral wealth. Peninsular California, on the other hand, is not
distinguished for its minerals, nor remarkable for its fertility. With
the sea washing it on either side, it is a country of drought and
barrenness. It is like a neutral ground between the two rainy seasons.
To the north of it, the winter is the season of abundant rains, with
dry summers. To the south of it, the summer rains are heavy and
continuous, without any showers in winter. Thus, lying between the
opposite climates, it rarely enjoys the refreshing rains of either. Its
back-bone is not a continuation of the rich Sierra Nevada, but of the
coast range, which is poor in minerals. The Mexican estimates set down
the population as amounting to 12,000,[26] but an American, who has
carefully examined the country, going down the whole length of the
peninsula on the one side, and returning by the other, fixes it at
4000. The inhabitants are an imbecile race of mixed bloods and Indians,
dwelling in the few small villages which the country contains, and upon
the ranchos and haciendas.

CALIFORNIAN PEARL-FISHERY.

Cattle thrive where water is to be found, and many of the natives are
excellent herdsmen. Fish are abundant, but the Californians lack the
necessary energy to become successful fishermen upon a large scale. The
pearl fisheries have for centuries brought strangers to this shore of
the Gulf, and many of the inhabitants have served as divers with
success. The production of pearls in the Sea of Cortez, or Gulf of
California, has been so great during the last three centuries, that
Mexico has become