88 LUXURIANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 



meadows, and forming more graceful and pic 

 turesque groups than I have ever seen as the 

 produce of art. With very little trouble, the 

 most luxuriant harvests might be reaped from 

 this soil ; but a happy and industrious popula 

 tion has not yet been established here, to profit 

 from the prodigality of Nature. The death 

 like stillness of these beautiful fields is broken 

 only by the wild animals which inhabit them ; 

 and as far as the eye can reach, it perceives no 

 trace of human existence ; not even a canoe is 

 to be seen upon the surrounding waters, which 

 are navigable for large vessels, and boast many 

 excellent harbours ; the large white pelican 

 with the bag under his bill, is the only gainer 

 by the abundance of fish they produce. During 

 the centuries of Spanish supremacy in Califor 

 nia, even the exertion of procuring a net has 

 been deemed too great. How abundantly and 

 happily might thousands of families subsist 

 here ! and how advantageously might the emi 

 grants to Brazil have preferred this spot for 

 colonization ! There, they have to struggle with 

 many difficulties, are often oppressed by the 

 government, and always suffer under a scorch- 



