To the Base of Shasta. 285 



St. Helena is another of those beautiful valley towns which so abound in 

 the lowland regions of California. These towns are in a state of rapid de- 

 velopment and progress. Of this there can be no doubt. Nearly all of them 

 have their boom, and are defiantly declaring, in the face of heaven and earth, 

 that that particular spot is the original Eden and the coming Paradise. 

 Much allowance must, of course, be made for this exaggeration; but after all 

 necessary deductions have been made on the score of the hyperbolical lan- 

 guage of the Californians, it must still be allowed that in respect to substan- 

 tial enterprise and public spirit, and real confidence in the future, these ris- 

 ing cities of California are worthy of the highest praise. 



The majority of the towns which our Society visited during its stay on the 

 Pacific coast range from three to ten thousand inhabitants to each. The peo- 

 ple of these communities are wide-awake, progressive, and especially indus- 

 trious. I am free to say that I think a lazy man in California would starve to 

 death in a fortnight — that is, starve or steal. On the other hand, enterprise 

 has a golden reward. There is a vast deal of speculation on every side, and 

 in all kinds of properties. The first form which it takes is the speculation in 

 real estate. All the towns are thronged with real estate brokers. Their 

 •voices are on every corner. They are a shrewd class of citizens; but, after 

 all, most of them whom we met were gentlemanly in their manners and 

 straightforward in their discourse. 



The same remarks made with respect to the wime interest at Napa may 

 be applied to St. Helena. The vineyard is here the principal thing, and the 

 vines are of the wine-producing variety. It is the one great interest of the 

 people of the Napa valley — not that they are incapable of producing an 

 almost endless variety of other fruits, but the region is specially adapted bj' 

 nature to the production of the wine grape. The consequence is that as 

 this interest is developed the wineries more and more abound. I doubt 

 whether any census could gather the precise details of the wellnigh infinite 

 production of wine in this valley. The people of St. Helena gave us a mag- 

 nificent dinner, and our ride through the region round about was one of 

 continued interest. It was at this point that the eminent Secretary of the 

 Society, Hon. William H. Ragan, of Indiana, rejoined our company, after an 

 absence which had covered the whole space of our journey from San Jose to 

 St. Helena. 



During our tour to the north, through the various towns en route, many 

 persons of distinction in this part of California, as well as committees and 

 delegations froin the towns ahead, were constantly joining us for a part of 

 our journey. Our dejjarture from St. Helena was in the mid-afternoon, and 

 we now made our way at full speed for the capital of the St ite. The distance 

 from San Francisco to Sacramento is ninety miles, and the schedule re- 

 quired our presence at the latter city at 5 p. m. After all our local excur- 

 sions and banqueting, and other unforeseen delays, we reached the capital 

 on time. On going into the commodious station we were greeted by a great 

 throng, drawn thither by curiosity to witness our arrival. A deputation 



