768 FINAL JOURNEYS AND WORK.  [1885, 
fornia in the eyes of its inhabitants, and indeed of 
most others. Our eruise of only eight hours on the 
Pacific was pleasant, and most of it in daylight. 
Arriving after dark, we found, to our surprise, the 
mayor of he little town on the wharf with a carriage 
for our party (wife, Farlow, and self), who drove us 
to the fine watering-place kind of hotel, and on being 
shown at once to our rooms we found them all alight 
and embowered in roses, in variety and superbness 
such as you never saw the beat of, not to speak of 
Bougainvilleas, Tacsonias, and passion-flowers, Cape- 
bulbs in variety, ete., etc., and a full assortment of the 
wild flowers of the season. Mrs. Gray was fairly taken 
off her feet. During the ten or eleven days we stayed, 
there were few in which we were not taken on drives, 
the most pleasant and various. The views, even from 
our windows, of sea and mountain and green hills (for 
California is now verdant, except where Eschscholtzia 
and Bahias and Layia, ete., and Lupines turn it 
golden or blue) were just enchanting ; and on leaving 
we were by good management allowed to pay our 
hotel bill. . . . Had you been of the party I believe 
the good people would have come out with oxen and 
garlands, and would hardly have been restrained. 
Here we were driven out fifteen miles to one of the 
great ranches, — a visit of two nights and a day, — 
that of Mr. Cooper, a very refined family ; the whole 
ranch flanked on the windward sides by eucalyptus 
groves, apricots, almond, peach-trees, ete., by the dozens 
of acres; but the produce on which the enthusiastic 
owner has set his heart is that of the olive, and he 
makes the best of olive oil, and in a large way. Hol- 
lister’s ranch is still larger, miles long every way; 
both reach from mountain-top to sea, and have fine 
