768 FINAL JOURNEYS AND WORK. [1885, 



fornia in the eyes of its inhabitants, and indeed of 

 most others. Our cruise of only eight hours on the 

 Pacific was pleasant, and most of it in daylight. 



Arriving after dark, we found, to our surprise, the 

 mayor of the little town on the wharf with a carriage 

 for our party (wife, Farlow, and self), who drove us 

 to the fine watering-place kind of hotel, and on being 

 shown at once to our rooms we found them all alight 

 and embowered in roses, in variety and superbness 

 such as you never saw the beat of, not to speak of 

 Bougainvilleas, Tacsonias, and passion-flowers, Cape- 

 bulbs in variety, etc., etc., and a full assortment of the 

 wild flowers of the season. Mrs. Gray was fairly taken 

 off her feet. During the ten or eleven days we stayed, 

 there were few in which we were not taken on drives, 

 the most pleasant and various. The views, even from 

 our windows, of sea and mountain and green hills (for 

 California is now verdant, except where Eschscholtzia 

 and Bahias and Layia, etc., and Lupines turn it 

 golden or blue) were just enchanting ; and on leaving 

 we were by good management allowed to pay our 

 hotel bill. . . . Had you been of the party I believe 

 the good people would have come out with oxen and 

 garlands, and would hardly have been restrained. 



Here we were driven out fifteen miles to one of the 

 great ranches, a visit of two nights and a day, 

 that of Mr. Cooper, a very refined family ; the whole 

 ranch flanked on the windward sides by eucalyptus 

 groves, apricots, almond, peach-trees, etc., by the dozens 

 of acres ; but the produce on which the enthusiastic 

 owner has set his heart is that of the olive, and he 

 makes the best of olive oil, and in a large way. Hoi- 

 lister's ranch is still larger, miles long every way ; 

 both reach from mountain-top to sea, and have fine 



