PO 
SEMI- TROPIC CA LI FORK I A. 
PASADENA 
n«w w t cam(■ to oijoosk it ron a home, and 
WHV, .AFTER A SIX MONTHS' TRIAL. "f HOlV 
FPL.LV Lt'KirrV A NO aiif peuercti.y batisfiep 
wrru that choice. 
Pt Asm 
PiiiHI- 
Mrssns. Editors To the* great. sur¬ 
prise of all ami against the renKUotrunceR 
of tunny of my MuNsachiractt* fritlidk. 1 
have, in this fast fading twilight of my 
lift*, hidden adieu to the few surviving 
associates of my earlier year*, coat n last, 
regretful look upon tlie graves of the dear 
departed oops, and turniug my hack upon 
the endeared, familiar home of half u 
century, come to find a new and all un¬ 
tried one in this sunset land, A single 
motive has impelled me to thi» mmaiiro— 
the hope of promoting the comfort, at 
least, if not of prolonging t.liu days of mi 
invalid member of my family—u hope in- 
spiled by the fume (dint had long since 
reached us, but latterly with increasingly 
uniphuKc dwtinctuess, of the mildness, 
serenity and salubrity nf the climate of the 
Pacific coast, and especially of Los Angeles 
county. A very dear fneud of nut* (now 
doceased), who, both b.v study and travel, 
had acquainted him self with the lineal! 
climated in both hemisphere!!, had ex¬ 
pressed n preference for this county, ns 
equal, in this regard, if not superior, to 
any other locality on the gluW Tho first 
easting u broad of our inquiring eyes, 
therefore, upon forminr the resolution to 
seek a new home in so in a far southern 
locality, where tho rigors of Northern 
winter* could never move annoy ns, wn., 
ill I he direction of California, It was a 
piece of great good fortune to ns that, at 
that lime, wi. had a number of acquaint- 1 
unees and friend*—all persona of uiwllo 
genoc, candor and discriminating judg¬ 
ment—residing in different portions of 
•his common wealth, particular h at Sun 
Francisco, Sacramento, Han liernnrdiiio, I 
\ ' uturn, Kiveraide nml F'.isadeiia. With 1 
these wi opened, ut once, an earnest I 
cones pond euco on the vital question that 
Was by tins time wholly engrossing nnr 
attention, not omitting, howovnr, to avuil 
our .") V "H meanwhile of * very other sotueej 
of reliable information. After nranr 
moiitha of unxtoufl deliberation, guide. I 
nml controlled by the knowledge thus 
acquired, our inquiries becutni narrowed 
ilmvn to only two localities— nml, 
/' o e/, u „t». after u con .idcrnldt* period 
of further oncillatioo between these two 
! h " wale, turned finally in f n y ur „f the 
all- r. I hither, oil .me of the but .lav., of 
October, 1879, we directed our wav,' ami 
Cere, on the did of November, We entered 
no. new Culifo, uiu home, -all - a r,. ttII ,| 
■nun I. And HOW, atlei fell half-year's 
acquaintance with our Hew home and it* I 
euviionuienU, I suppose it is u, |, e eon ; 
qu.tc in order to be •* put upon 
ucs stand,' and antiwar the inter 
ry. And how an* you pleased with ! 
■••end situation, and tlj.. polenta, 
as developed ' Uojhl null. 'j’nie, 
at 
the wit 
C'jj 
tho genera 
as lar 
our equaimuity has 1 ,. ,, 1 , 
elm 
*ily dial orbed 1 
by two or (lire, little interludes (lint were 
“ not in the bill '—ns the very uncomfort¬ 
able depression of the mercury, for a few 
day*, during an abnormal winter; the rude 
manner 11 . which wc were shaken from our 
slumbers one morning, not long since, by 
the tossings, in hi* vmenay bed, of a 
stalwart young earthquake; and ptill Inter 
!'\ the prank* '• ri griw.ly played one 
mgiif among our neighbor Gidding's bee¬ 
hive*, for which speedy justice overtook 
l.iii. at flic m..nil. of the offended apiarian* 
rifle. H 11 I. “ all is well that ends well.” 
rhe earthquake shock ended well, the 
grimly panic ended well, t he Ualiou* winter 
ha* ended well in a genial spring; and 
though sundry lime trees and lime stocks 
have settled by their death* the Darwinian 
theory of the “ Bmvival of the fittest,” no 
irreparable harm Ims been Buffered. And 
since that most venerable and most 
veracious of all huuiauH, 11 the oldest 
inhabitant,' has assured us that the con¬ 
duct of the past winter ha* been “nil a 
miht'.ke, not likely to occur again 111 a life 
time, we feel quite reassured, ami tun 
faith remains unshaken, our contentment 
unimpaired. Among the solid foundations 
of tin, stale of oooteutedne**, l will speak, 
hrm, of the Climate. 
C Innate 1 * a eoniprehensive, generic 
term, including in its idea the aggregate 
of all atmospheric conditions. and is 
termed hot or cold, dump or dry, sickly or 
salubrious, etc., according' to the pre 
poiidemnce of one or mini her, or of several 
of iln-Bu influential condition*, and the! 
presence or absence of miasmatic and ! 
malarial exhalation* from lis-aso ami 
death-engendering marehus The mu*t 
peril cl climate, doubtleas, i* tl.nt in which 
respiration 1 * freest, in which violent 
muscular exercise is attended with the 
lea‘i incoiivenitsiiCB and fatigue, and in 
"hieh all tho mm.till and bodily faculties 
ih'rivo the greatest unjoyineut from their, 
appropriate employment,,. That such a 
climute prevails u, Houtlirrn California, 1 
and especially in elevated localities at tin 
lame.- of the fuot-hill*. experience lift, 
proved. Dry pure, slightly salnie, os¬ 
cillating daily, with great regularity, j 
bet.v .mi the Siorin, and the Pacific! 
freighted both ways with n wealth of tunic 
prcpaiatinriB materia median cannot fur 
mdi, our atmoiqilinie is <,i„, th ft t ( j lV ,j w 
exliil.ir.ilmg and invignrutiiig properties, 
giv. - clan I icily and buoyancy to tho spirit- 
"ihdity and tension to the' iiiuhdIch. tiro, 
lie-and steadiness to t he nervan, deter-! 
ruination and eoii,t,ine\ to tho will, alacrity 
and energy to all lb. executive faculties of 
, , “ 1 " 1 body, and, ju.nhovt, to the I 
Who e hi. reality ami meaning. Said „ u 
invi.lid lady t.. us, after 1 , year'-experiei,cm 
1 ebunilt her. '• J wuuld not CAchauge 
ih. 10 , | bieuthe here for all the wealth of! 
m,V native city." Hu id u Imrdwoi king day- 
lftl .V' ,u ' ;• J «■'•'* labor With mole 
' Oiuluit her.' under a temperature of PJij 
' ' • than J could nt the East with the 
i.icieurv at ninety." J„ (l conversation 1 
bad two years with Oh,of Justice 
'Min. of Hie Handwioli | lauds, !.. , M j. 1 
mii.lc.1 that. la.M Vngclc . uouuly pon.aer.BBil | 
.m>- of Hie finest climates in the world, but 
wna inclined to make an exception in favor 
of those islands, informing mo, however, in 
anot her part of our discourse, t hat lie bad 
beeu obliged to leave that delightful part 
of tho world “on account of Mia. A.'a 
health, which suffered from lh< n,rri}olmg 
effects of that climate." 1 have witnessed 
or heard of no such effect produced hero 
on any constitution, delicate or robust.* 
Our people arc strong to labor, full of 
Anglo-Saxon vim and pluck, don't know 
how to sav “ can 1 , never afraid to “ take 
ttip bull by Ike horns," always ready to 
do or die." 
SnontHy, of our Sirwri/. 
The marvellously varied features of the 
face of nature, us viewed from ibis point 
(which lies lit, the foot, of the Siena Mad re 
lunge, and nt the “ head of the fat 
valley.,” of the San Gabriel), present to 
1 he eve a eonibiuHlion of awful nublimity, 
ruggi d grandeur, savage vvildofi**, and 
•simple, meek, harmouioiiH beauty and 
charming repose that cannot, fail to pro¬ 
duce in musing minds Hint spirit of “ culm 
contemplation ami poetic ease," that 
happy equanimity--equally removed from 
pasuomitn and fretful haste and worry, on 
die one hand, and listless indifference, 
apathy and inaction, on the other—in 
which is found the true “ golden mean ” 
of life, the very “ philosopher's stone" of 
human felicity From the tiniest micro- 
scopie dower, that, nestling cloudy to its 
mother's bosom, barely lift* its meekly 
smiling lace above the sod to meet the 
-mile* of its kindred skies, and join in 
miniated Nanireu universal hymn, “The 
band that made in- ih divine," up through 
all tlie intervening ranks, of Flora * gaily 
decorated myriad*, to the nuloorutio 
Agave, that lifts its oxtentntioua head on 
high and ofTViin its more pompouH wornhip 
to the Buinc Creator; and from theheaven- 
luenueing RuminitM of San Antonio, San 
Lb'r/iurdino, and Sun Jacinto, over their 
wheei backbones and ridge*, with their 
corrugated and precipitous sides, down 
through the rnid-pnrlh crater* ami canyons 
to Mm uiesa lands, tlm grain holds, the 
broad vineyards, and the never-fading 
citrous orchard*, till your vvenry feel rest 
on that most delightful of all carpet* -the 
little grassy lawn before your own door; 
n<< link in tlm enchant ing elmiu is wanting. 
1 have been privileged, j n 
the cniii-Me of a 
somewhat lengthened lifi.. t.. look upon 
very lieii„tifi,| pidurns of natuful hetmorv, 
... a score of uIII United .Stales; but Mover 
Inive met with another locality iu which, 
from a single *Un.l point, f could cast my 
eve over such in, extant and vuu. iv „'f 
charming Rconory a* I dailv /red in 
1 nHadeun, 1 
In tin third jilan.. 
The ,u,l wo trend, and from which wo 
drew our sustenance, though Hulimtimoa 
disagreeably lomprrr,! either loo pl„Hlir 
V'.. Y V; M " i t (, ‘ther tho pedestrian 
tho road or tJ.e cultivator in |,i„ fi«ld—is, 
oil .lim'uitre'v UMhiVmiMi"!" """ V 1 '""''' *" 1 ""•• 
ft " lv U ml U ,„.| . V’.. 0,,<l f*ll«f- 
etoxliy uf uur. Ii,..»i,,. ■'•‘AtllUliln* tUo muilni (l> pa 
