186 CALIFORNIA. 



them no mercy, and their lives are made the forfeit. This constant 

 foray on one side or the other, keeps up a continual embitter ment, 

 and as long as the present imbecile government lasts, this state of 

 things must every day grow worse, and will undoubtedly tend to 

 affect the value of property, as well as to prevent emigration to, and 

 settlement in the country. 



To all strangers but those of the Spanish race, the Indians seem in 

 general well disposed, as they have usually received from the former 

 considerate and kind treatment. The character of these Indians is 

 not represented as savage, and they were little disposed to trouble the 

 whites until they had been themselves ejected from the missions, 

 and forced to consort M r ith those who are yet in a wild state. The 

 knowledge they have of the Californians, of the missionary establish- 

 ments, and the manner of conducting them, enables them to act more 

 effectively ; and if it were not for the presence of the English and 

 Americans, they would either drive the Spanish race out of the 

 country, or confine them to the narrow limits of their villages. 



The number of Indians is variously stated, at from twelve to fifteen 

 thousand ; but it is believed by some of the best informed, that their 

 number, since the small-pox made its ravages among them, is not 

 much more than one-half of this number, or eight or nine thousand. 

 The principal part of these are the tribes on the Sacramento. 



In like manner, there has been an exaggeration in the computation 

 of the number of the whites, or gente de razon. These have been 

 usually estimated at five thousand ; but, from the best information, I 

 could not satisfy myself that they number more than three thousand 

 souls. In this estimate is not included those of mixed blood, who 

 may amount to two thousand more ; so that in the whole of Upper 

 California, at the date of our visit, the entire population was about 

 fifteen thousand souls ; and this, estimate cannot be far from the 

 truth. 



The health and robustness of the white inhabitants seem remark- 

 able, and must be attributed to the fine climate, as well as to their 

 simple diet. This consists of beef roasted upon the coals, a few vege- 

 tables, and the tortilla, which is a thin cake, made of corn-meal, and 

 baked upon a sheet of iron. Throughout the country, both with the 

 rich and poor, this is the general fare; but some few luxuries have 

 been lately introduced, among which are rice and tea. The latter is 

 used so sparingly, that the discoloration of the water is scarcely 

 perceptible. At the missions they live more after the Spanish 



