1823.1 
and nineteen missions, in California. 
In 1817 and 1818, the population did 
not amount to more than 20,330 per- 
sons, of whom 1,300 were of Spanish 
origin, and the rest native Indians. 
The first class consisted of soldiers, 
either in active service or retired, and 
their families. The governor, an offi- 
cer, and the missionaries, were the only 
persons born in Spain. The name of 
gente de razon is applied in Spanish 
America to all who are not of Indian 
origin; and even, says the author, to 
the blackslaves. This Spanish part of 
the population increases rapidly in the 
whole province: the Spanish race had 
not lost more than fifty-one individuals, 
and there had been 141 births. It is 
quite the contrary with the original 
race, the numbers of which is only 
kept up in the missions by some old 
persons, who, being too weak to pro- 
vide for their own subsistence, aban- 
don the independent tribes, to seek 
under the protection of the missiona- 
ries an asylum against want. 'The 
principal causes for the diminution of 
this race seem to be, first, voluntary 
‘abortions ; secondly, the inattention of 
mothers to their children; thirdly, the 
‘irregular diet; fourthly, the want of 
assistance to the sick. The officers 
and missionaries agree, that the indi- 
genous race is almost entirely extinct 
in Old California, where, for this rea- 
son, the number of missiuns is re- 
duced from five to two; and that in 
New California, which is more fertile, 
and which was at all times more popu- 
lous, there is not a single mission where 
the births are not exceeded by the 
deaths. In 1817, there were among 
the indigenous race, 1,634 deaths, and 
only 762 births. In the same year the 
agricultural produce of the mission 
was as follows :— 
. Fanégas. 
_oeiteie seve eereseecseeees 52,001 
Maize «-++ee-ccccceercrecesece 22,354 
Various vegetables ---+++++++.-+* 18,895 
Total-ceces +¢**93,250 
Corn yields seventeen fold. The 
vine is cultivated in the southern mis- 
sions ; the wine of Santa Barbara, the 
best in California, is red, luscious, and 
a little heady, and resembles Cape 
wine of the middle quality. The fruit 
and vegetables of Europe flourish in 
the gardens of the missions. 
The number of cattle, though consi- 
derable, has dinfinished, since the trou- 
bles in Mexieo do not permit them to 
receive from that country an herb for 
A new Vouage round the World. bu M. de Rocusfeuil. 
108 
the destruction of wolves, The author. 
calls this herb yerva de la puebla, and 
says it is a subtle poison. What he 
says of its properties would be worth 
examining, because it might be useful 
in France. 
M. de Roquefeuil estimates that 
Upper California, in its present state, 
might furnish two thousand tons of 
grain and vegetables, and from seven 
to eight hundred tons of dry or salt 
meat for exportation. To this may be 
added salt of good quality, which is 
found in abundance on various paris of 
the coast. ‘The enormous consumption 
of ox-hides, which are used for various 
purposes, leaves but few to dispose of. 
It need not be added, that all these 
productions are susceptible of an im- 
mense increase. Otter and _ seal | 
skins may also be obtained at Califor- 
nia. These animals are even more 
numerous than in the more northern 
coasts of America; but the furs of Cali- 
fornia are neither so fine nor so well 
dressed. 
(To be continued. ) 
i 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
\ SIR, 
OBSERVE you have noticed the 
new discovery in fermentation ; 
but your intelligent readers will be 
gratified by receiving farther infor- 
mation. 
It is well known that the common 
practice has been to ferment in open 
vessels ; and, though it was a circum- 
stance well known among chemists 
that a certain portion of spirit and 
flavour escaped in the form of vapour 
during the process, yet no one had. an 
idea that the condensatory system 
could be applied,—as it appeared im- 
possible to effect the fermentation in 
air-tight vessels. ‘The idea, however, 
occurred to Madame Gervais, a pro- 
prietor of considerable vineyards near 
Montpellier, who has founded a system 
on the principle, that what is termed 
the vinous fermentation, is a mild, 
calm, and natural distillation. Hay- 
ing first laid down this ground-work, 
she proceeded to obtain an apparatus 
that would operate in such manner as 
to return into the vessel the spirit and 
flavour that was evolved from the fer- 
menting gyle, and let out the non- 
. condensable gases, which might, by 
the increasing heat, acquire too great 
an expansive force, and burst the 
working-tun. Her apparatus consist- 
ed of a vessel resembling the head of 
the ancient still, and constructed of 
P such. 
