110 HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



houses and cottages, which contrast favorably with 

 the heavy old adobes residences of the native inhabit- 

 ants. Flour and saw-mills have been erected, 

 but the scarcity of' water is severely felt by their pro- 

 prietors. 



San Jose' in respect to climate and general abun- 

 dance of the necessaries and luxuries of life, is one 

 of the most desirable places of residence in California. 

 Though situated a short distance inland, and thus 

 deprived of the facilities which contributed to the 

 rapid growth of San Francisco, the fertile plain sur- 

 rounding it, and the increase of the inland trade and 

 travel will draw to the town and its neighborhood a 

 thriving, business population. The old mission of 

 San Josd is situated about ten miles from the town. 

 The establishment and the grounds belonging to it are 

 in a state of decay. The population there is about 

 three hundred in number, most of whom are Indians, 

 and all of them in a degraded condition. 



The emigration to the gold region caused many 

 towns to spring up, as if by magic, in its neighborhood, 

 and on the route to it from San Francisco. These 

 were principally the stopping places of the gold-seekers, 

 or the seat of a trade in provisions and articles manu- 

 factured in the States and transported thither. Some 

 of these towns have become of a size sufficient to. war- 

 rant the assertion that they will soon rival the cities 

 of the Atlantic coast of the United States. The pro- 

 gress of these places is aided by the enormous price 

 of real estate in San Francisco. 



One of the most promising of the new towns is called 

 Benicia. It is situated on the Strait of Carquinez, 

 thirty-five miles north of San Francisco. The strait 

 forms the entrance of Suisan into Pablo Bay. The 



