Chap. VII. LOS ANGELES. 549 
and they stretch thence to the coast below Los Angeles. 
They consist of bituminous sandstone, limestone, marl, and 
clay, and are remarkable for the numerous asphalt springs 
found in them. I inspected some of the latter, and was 
particularly struck at finding several of them on the ridge 
of a hill, so that they flow down on both sides. The asphalt 
oozes slowly out of the ground in a thick mass, with a little 
water. In its course it quickly stiffens, rising like a thick- 
setting porridge. The inhabitants of this part use this 
production in various ways. Mr. Williams uses it as fuel ; 
and throughout this part of California flat roofs are covered 
with it, to render them impervious to water. 
On the 6th of September Mr. K. returned to the camp 
from Los Angeles, with a purchaser for his waggons and 
mules. The latter were inspected, and the bargain con- 
cluded. We drove to the town in an elegant carriage, 
with a pair of spirited horses, and thus terminated my 
travels over the wilderness of North America. At Los 
Angeles, Mr. Francis Melius, a wealthy and influential 
man, and a member of the Legislature of the State of 
California, offered me the hospitality of his house. I slept 
on a gilded bedstead with silk curtains, and under a silk 
counterpane. The furniture of the splendid saloon I occu- 
pied consisted of Chinese works of art, with costly carving ; 
and for a time I was surrounded with all the luxury of 
civilized society. Such contrasts are only to be found in 
America. 
