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 gi-eat 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. 



