and then, on nearer approach, darting into their burrows with as self-satisfied a discretion, and quite as much intelligence as a Digger Indian dodges into the hole of his earthen habitation. On climbing the Big Sulphur-Spring Hill, beyond the Pacheco grant, we saw traces of coal; and soon came upon the Peacock Claim, where we found a tunnel two hundred and thirty-five feet long through slate and rock, with a declivity of thirty-six degrees, into a five feet and a half vein of excellent bituminous coal. The nearest point of shipment for this coal is the Embarcadero of Pacheco; the difficulty of conveyance to which, together with the labor and cost of mining and raising the coal, will make the speculation of working this claim unprofitable. Crossing the ridge of fifteen hundred feet height just beyond the Peacock Claim, a fine view was afforded of far-off objects, and especially of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, the Strait of Carquenez connecting the extreme arteries of inland navigation with their great heart, and the long mountain ranges mellowed by distance; itself being overlooked by the near Monte Diablo Stern in loneliness Standing apart from smiling slopes and glades, Which, clothed in verdure, seek t' embrace the foot That rudely spurns the beautiful caress: Lifting its darkened brow with scornful mien, And lofty pride, o'er nature's timid gaze, That upward looks as if in fearfulness. Ages have scarred its bare and blackened sides, As when Creation, with mysterious wand, On descending the eastern face of the ridge, and at a height of twelve hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea, we came to the "Cumberland" coal mine with a vein of four and a half feet thick, where we found a tunnel four hundred feet long, six feet high and five wide, strongly timbered-for protection against crumbling slate-with eighteen shoots at right angles connected by cross tunnels, and communicating with air-shafts for ventilation. The perfect grade of the mine allows of an easy removal of the coal by rail; more than a thousand tons have already been sent to the San Francisco market, where it brings twelve dollars per ton; and the farther the miners proceed, the harder and richer is the coal. About three-quarters of a mile beyond, the same vein has been opened at "Black Diamond” mine, being four feet thick and somewhat harder than the Cumberland. No timbering is required at this mine, in consequence of the sandstone rock formation which makes the tunnel selfsupportive. About a mile off, the "Adams," "Clark," and “Cruikshank” mines are also furnishing coal of excellent quality; and it is expected that when a projected railroad is completed to the shipping point, aspiring to the metropolitan name New York, five and a half miles distant, near the confluence of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers, coal will be delivered in San Francisco at a greatly reduced price, in large quantity, and of a quality equal to any imported into that market. A thriving little village-Carbondale-is being built near the mines, which promises to rival in business activity, black dust, black hands, black faces, black deeds, and black guards, its Atlantic namesake. It is situated one mile and a half northeast of Monte Diablo-the sight of which alone repaid us for our day's ride of thirty-two miles to the coal region and back to Martinez, where we arrived in ample time for the call of the evening Sacramento boat to San Francisco. CHAPTER XXVII. EN ROUTE TO THE GEYSERS-VISIT THE STATE PRISON AT POINT ST. QUENTIN-PETALUMA CREEK AND TOWN-SONOMA—VINEYARDS-CHINESE LABOR-VALLEY OF LOS GUILLICOS-VALLEY OF PETALUMA-SANTA ROSA VALLEY AND TOWN-RUSSIAN RIVER AND VALLEY-HEALDSBURG—THE GEYSERS-QUICKSILVER MINES-GEYSER MOUNTAIN. A TRAVELLER who has but little time afforded to him for sight-seeing must not tarry long in one spot, but keep on the move. Happily the points of interest are so numerous in California that one cannot go in any direction without being repaid for adventure. Among the many curiosities of this State are the Geysers-spouting springs of boiling water in Sonoma County. Those of Iceland near Mount Hecla have been regarded as among the most remarkable of phenomena. I availed of the few remaining days before sailing for the Hawaiian Islands to visit the not less wonderful Geysers recently discovered here. Taking a fine steamer of Mr. Minturn's line to Petaluma, we proceeded up the bay, passing among other places heretofore mentioned the State Prison at Point St. Quentin; which, unless greatly improved in buildings and discipline, will scarcely repay one for the delay of a visit. In the erection of buildings, no special design. appears to have been adopted with reference to the introduction of either the improved Auburn or the Pennsylvania system of prison discipline. The prisoners mingle freely in shops, dormitories, and cells; uninterrupted intercourse seemed to be the rule, and criminal education, disorder, and danger of outbreak, are necessary results. This disregard of moral isolation and reformatory effort is the more to be regretted because of the bold, daring, debased, and dangerous social elements, to a large extent the refuse of other countries, introduced into this State by its unusual attractions; and for the control of which a more than ordinary judicial strictness and penal infliction are demanded. The practice of leasing the labor of the convicts to the highest bidder, or to some favored partisan, has also hitherto been at variance with reformatory result; for discipline is not likely to be enforced by a lessee intent alone on profit. The realization of this fact by the present able Executive of the State has led Governor Downey to cancel existing contracts, and to take the management of the prison, both disciplinary and industrial, into the hands of the legitimate authorities. It is reasonable now to anticipate better results, morally and financially, to the State. The presence of a strong guard of musketeers, and artillerymen with several twelve-pounders loaded with canister, on the outside of a prison-wall twenty feet high, to intimidate the convicts who might scale it, is certainly a sad commentary on the efficiency of the prison discipline. With such models of penitentiaries for study as can be found in some of the Atlantic States, there should be no ignorance here on the subject of their construction and management. Passing from the Bay of San Francisco into that of San Pablo, we crossed the latter bay in a N. N. W. direction and entered Petaluma Creek, one of its affluents. Eight miles from its mouth and thirty-one from San Francisco brought us to Lakeville, a passenger and merchandise depot of a country rich in grass and grain, and with "cattle on a thousand hills." The creek, which at its mouth is about half a mile wide, rapidly contracts above Lakeville to a hundred and fifty, and in many places to fifty yards. It is very serpentine and has numerous miniature bayous which are favorite haunts of water-fowl. The banks of the stream are low, of dark rich loam and clay, often caving in when not matted by tule roots, from the swash of steamboats that frequently almost touched them, so narrow in places is the channel. Here, as elsewhere in California, the absence of barns denotes an invariably dry autumn, during which the harvested grain is stacked and thrashed in the open air. Five miles above Lakeville the navigation of the creek is interrupted; and here passengers for the town of Petaluma, in Sonoma County, land and are conveyed to their destination, two miles further, in stages. Petaluma is a flourishing and fresh-looking town of twentyfive hundred people, and the point of divergence of numerous routes of travel to the surrounding interior country. As a fair specimen of this, the Sonoma Valley was selected to look at. A Kentuckian, a rare sample of nature's noblemen, was my cicerone. Two or three miles in an easterly direction brought us to the foot of a not very elevated ridge dignified by the name of Sonoma Mountain, ascending which by a good road, in dry weather, the magnificent Sonoma Valley was seen from its summit stretching to the eastward as far as the Napa spur of the Coast Range Mountain, which separates it from the like beautiful and fertile valley of Napa, in which are some of the finest farms of the State, and also the medicinal springs that have made Napa the fashionable watering-place of California. While descending the eastern slope of Sonoma Ridge, an opportunity was afforded to see a rodero, a Mexican custom of driving up herds of wandering. cattle, lassoing, marking, and branding them. On such occasions notice is given to neighbors, that they may attend for the identification and protection of their like property that may have strayed from their ranches; and, if they choose, to partake of the dainty of cruelly caught and primitively cooked "mountain oysters "—always found in great abundance where many calves are herded. It is a scene of intense excitement. Thousands of almost wild animals are crowded into one corral; and being run down by fleet horsemen-especially dexterous when they happen to be remnants of the old Mexican tribe-are twined by the unerring lasso, flung, hacked by the rudest rhinoplastic surgery, forming superfluous noses, abbreviated ears, and cervical pendents of strange shape, and otherwise degraded, cauterized, and branded by the red-hot iron, sinking deep into the quivering flesh and hissing an accompaniment to the cries of the suffering victims; while the frantic bellowing of the surging herd around startles the very air with fear, and fills the inexperienced spectator with commingled terror and pity. Mr. S, on whose ranche this barbarous enforcement of property identification was practised, was one of the twelve Americans who, on the anticipated outbreak of the Mexican war, undertook, and, as it resulted, successfully achieved, the hazardo1· |