324 CALIFORNIA. 



stretches along the Rio Norte, and has a remarkably 

 cold climate. 



14. Old California equals England in extent oi 

 territory, but has only a population of 9000. The 

 soil of this peninsula is parched and sandy, and the 

 vegetation feeble ; but the sky is constantly clear, and 

 of a deep blue ; the light clouds which sometimes ap- 

 pear presenting at sunset the most beautiful shades 

 of violet, purple, and green. A chain of mountains, 

 the highest of which is about 5000 feet, runs through 

 the centre of the peninsula, and is inhabited by ani- 

 mals resembling the mouflon of Sardinia, which the 

 Spaniards call wild sheep. The principal attraction 

 which California has afforded to Europeans since the 

 16th century is the great quantity of pearls found in 

 it, and which, although frequently of an irregular 

 form, are large and of a very beautiful water. At the 

 present day, however, this fishery is almost entirely 

 abandoned. 



15. New-California is a long and narrow country, 

 identifying itself with the shore of the Pacific Ocean 

 from the isthmus of Old California to Cape Mendo- 

 cino. It is extremely picturesque, and enjoys a 

 fertile well- watered soil, with a temperate climate. 

 Wheat, barley, maize, beans, and other useful plants 

 thrive well, as do the vine and olive ; but the popula- 

 tion is scanty compared to the territory. A cordil- 

 lera of small elevation runs along the coast, and the 

 forests and prairies are filled with deer of gigantic 

 size. 



