CALIFORNIA. 
155 
and lakes serve to water it, yet in dry seasons or droughts, not only 
the crops but the herbage also suffers extremely, and the cattle are 
deprived of food. 
The Sierra affords little scope for cultivation, being much broken, 
barren, and sandy. It is in places covered with cedar, pine, and oak; 
but it offers few inducements to the settler. The great valley of 
BuenaVentura next succeeds, which, although it offers more prospects 
of profitable cultivation, is by all accounts far inferior to that of San 
Juan. It lies nearly parallel to the latter, and is watered by the San 
Joachim river and its branches. 
In this valley the Californian Indians principally dwell. The San 
Joachim receives its waters from the many streams that issue from 
the Californian range of mountains. These are well wooded, their 
base being covered with oaks, to which succeeds the red California 
cedar (Schubertia abertina), and after it, in a still higher region, pines, 
until the snows are encountered. On the eastern side of this range, 
there is found very little timber, and in consequence of the want of 
moisture, trees do not flourish, even on the west side. The inland 
plain, constituting a large part of Upper California, is, according to all 
accounts, an arid waste; the few rivers that exist being periodical, 
and losing themselves in the sandy soil. 
Of the latter portion of country, however, there is little known, and 
the accounts given of it vary extensively. It has been crossed by 
seven persons, who differ altogether in respect to its appearance. One 
declared that the horses and men had not only a scanty supply of 
water, but were actually nearly famished for want of food ; while 
others have found both grass and water plentiful. The only thing 
that can reconcile these contradictory statements is, that these dif¬ 
ferent persons had visited the country at different seasons of the year. 
It seems not at all improbable that the first of these accounts should 
be the correct one, for we find great aridity throughout the rest of 
California, and Oregon also. All agree that the middle and extensive 
portion of this country is destitute of the requisites for supplying the 
wants of man. 
In climate, California varies as much if not even more than in 
natural features and soil. On the coast range, it has as high a mean 
temperature in winter as in summer. The latter is in fact the coldest 
part of the year, owing to the constant prevalence of the northwest 
winds, which blow with the regularity of a monsoon, and are exceed¬ 
ingly cold, damp, and uncomfortable, rendering fire often necessary 
for comfort in midsummer. This is, however, but seldom resorted to, 
and many persons have informed me that they have suffered more 
