ST. LUCAS AND THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA. 
139 
The sun throws a ray of light through the mottled sky; the 
sea rolls sluggishly; porpoises are sporting about, now throwing 
themselves into the air, and now rushing into schools of flying- 
fish which are frightened from their element and pursued by 
the albatross. As we approach still nearer, immense rocks 
tower up from the margin of the ocean, some rising to the 
height of one hundred feet, some being columns of granite, pre¬ 
senting an appearance as uniform as if cut by the hand of man. 
(See Plate.) Here are seen huge rocks with arches worn through 
at the base by the action of the sea, sufficiently large to admit 
large row boats. The billows come dashing and thundering 
into these caverns, then recoil, chafing and foaming with the 
most terrific fury. 
Here the sea rolls high, but with such uniformity that when 
breaking upon the shore the air is caught underneath, which 
bursting through throws up columns of spray. Three coyotas , 
members of the California Harmonic Society, are seen on the 
beach; they appear to be at rehearsal. Along the shore are 
huge cacti, growing to the height of thirty feet, being sufficiently 
large, and frequently used for building timber. 
St. Lucas, like Santa Barbara, is hardly deserving the name 
of a town, containing but thirteen houses, which are constructed 
of adobes and cactus. The only peculiarity is that the natives 
speak the English Language. The surrounding country is ex¬ 
tremely barren, producing but just enough to sustain the inhab¬ 
itants ; vessels touch here for water, which is superior, and beef, 
which is obtained back of the mountain. This town is situated 
at the outer point of the entrance to the Gulf of California. 
The time is probably not far distant when the river Gila will 
be navigated by steam, and the fertile plains bordering on its 
banks, and those of its tributaries, be brought into subjection 
to the plow, when this vast empire must disgorge its un¬ 
bounded resources through the Gulf of California, and dispense 
its agricultural and mineral wealth to all parts of the civilized 
world. I say the time is probably not far distant; it is at hand; 
it is in the nature of things, that the Gila country within ten 
years will be a State in the Union. Then St. Lucas may become 
a city, and many others of great commercial importance will 
