i88 KLDORADO 



Vast herds of wild horse and elk are met with in all 

 parts of it. The noble elk is hunted by the Spaniards 

 for his hide and tallow. These people go out in large 

 companies, with fleet horses, and lasso them as they 

 do bullocks near the coast. The grizzly bear inhabits 

 the mountain sides and upper vales; these are so nu- 

 merous, fat and large that a common sized ship might 

 be laden with oil from the hunt of a single season. The 

 streams everywhere divide the country into beautiful 

 glades and savannahs, which, when the leaves are fall- 

 ing, and the grape hangs in the greatest profusion on 

 the limbs, when the deep red flowers of autumn dot 

 the grassy fields and birds sing their melancholy hymns 

 to the dying year, give the finest picture that the mind 

 can conceive of a beautiful wilderness. The rushing 

 waters sweep along the heights bordered with ever- 

 green forests, like fairy paths of olden tales, rich glories 

 to behold ; beauty reposing in the lap of the giant 

 mountains to whom the sounding streams give music, 

 the mountain dews give jewels, and the wild flowers, 

 incense — a land of the wildest enchantment. This 

 land will become hereafter one of the mosKenchant- 

 ing abodes of men, a sweet valley for the growth of a 

 happy and enlightened population, a lovely spot where 

 the farm house — that temple of the virtues — may lift 

 its rude chimnev among the myrrh trees." Such were 

 the prophetic utterances of Mr. Farnham a little more 

 than fifty years ago, after visiting this coast, but his 

 horoscope was undoubtedly cast down the vista of the 

 future several centuries before anticipating its realiza- 

 tion. But this golden, imperial State is today enjoying 

 the full fruition of Mr. Farnham 's finely expressed 

 forecast concerning the future, of the little known 



