562 LOS ANGELES. Book III. 
has its rise in a majestic chain of mountains, forming the 
background of the picture, and its waters irrigate the gar- 
dens and vineyards, which constitute the wealth and the 
chief attraction of the place. These gardens are shut out 
from view by impenetrable hedges, but within is seen a 
vegetation of extraordinary vigour, produced by the water 
of the little river, which is distributed in channels over the 
whole territory of these plantations. In general the. en- 
virons of Los Angeles are without trees ; but these gardens 
are veritable groves of fig, orange, and other fruit-trees, 
among which even the date is found, although not abun- 
dantly : almonds and olives flourish in the greatest per- 
fection. We can thus form a distinct idea of the character of 
this climate which, besides its mildness, is remarkable by its 
pure and invigorating air. Those who imagine that slavery 
is necessary in southern California from climatic reasons, 
meet with a complete refutation of their theory; for 
here we have a climate warm enough for the growth 
of sugar and cotton, in which the whites not only can 
work, but really do work with pleasure. The gardens 
of Los Angeles must be seen in autumn : then the 
golden lemons and oranges hang heavy amidst the dark 
foliage, the vines are laden with juicy grapes, indus- 
trious and well-dressed people sit in the shade, filling 
carefully thousands of tidy chests with the delicious 
fruit, spreading a sheet of fine blotting-paper between 
every two layers. This elegant carefulness is so thoroughly 
North American, and yet the whole scene is so foreign to 
the United States, that I hardly knew whither I had been 
transplanted. The few date-trees and the Levantine fruit 
remind us of the East, and yet the manner in which they 
are prepared for the trade belongs so much to the farthest 
West, that in this scene the extreme contrasts of the history 
