in the towns of Babylon (Irak Arabi) and in the ruins of that city itself, and of other ancient cities of Asia.

The WILD MUSTARD covers a large portion of the plains of California, south of San Francisco. It is said to have sprung from a few seeds brought years ago by an old Padre. It was not a bad idea of the worthy priest to introduce mustard where beef was so abundant.

GRASSHOPPERS are the greatest pest of the farmer in California. Some years they are very destructive, devouring all the vegetation which comes in their way; and are equal to the plague of locusts in Egypt, whose advent doubtless caused Pharaoh to think Moses "more plague than prophet."

The distance from Panama to San Francisco is three thousand five hundred and fifteen statute miles, or about twenty-one days' run of a steamer, at the rate of two hundred nautical miles a day, including all sorts of stoppages at every intermediate port on the coast, to land passengers, take in coal, &c. The distance from New Orleans to Chagres is about one thousand six hundred miles-say eight days' steaming. The transit across the Isthmus should not occupy more than two days. When the railroad, projected by Messrs. Aspinwall, Chauncey & Stephens, shall be completed, an immense tide of emigration will pour over it, both from the United States and from Europe.

The first thing the Romans did on acquiring a distant province, was to establish a military road running through

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROUTE.

from Rome to the capital of the conquered territory. The. Roman military road was, in effect, a sort of fortification for the legions in their march. In running through a high country, the "agger" was lower than the surrounding country, making a kind of redoubt; running through a low country, it was higher than the surrounding country, thus affording a vantage ground. By means of these roads, the Romans were, in case of revolt, enabled to repair promptly to the scene of action, and to communicate securely with the heart of the empire. But, we have steam, and should use it at once, to enable legions of toiling men to reach the goal of their hopes.

I once knew a Californian scapegrace to steal a horse while his owner had hold of the bridle. The owner had stepped into a shop to talk, and was holding the end of the reins in his hand, when the thief gently slipped off the bridle, hung it on a post, and rode off with the horse and saddle.

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROUTE.-Every emigrant with whom I have conversed, admits that those who cross the Rocky Mountains, in emigrant wagons, with their families, undergo more hardships than they could ever have imagined possible. One of my company, who was a Rocky Mountain emigrant, once gave me an account of his terrible sufferings from hunger, during a period of twenty-two days. All that time he had nothing to eat except scraps of buckskin, and he never gave up his gun, and kept steadily on to the westward. He told me that at last, after "looking hard for a buck," he spied an Indian, and immediately gave chase. And, sir," said he, "had I caught slain and eaten him, as soon as if he These men suffer most appalling hard

him, I should have had been a deer."

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HEALTH OF CALIFORNIA.

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ships, and often perish, while in sight of the promised land. The most horrid stories are told of the inhuman repasts of these poor wretches, and their deadly quarrels for the last remnant of a brother's or mother's body. But the details of such atrocities are too shocking to be dwelt upon, especially as the stories are usually derived from hearsay, and much exaggerated to suit the most depraved

tastes.

HEALTH.-The high and dry character of Upper California, the absence of alluvial bottoms of great extent, the comparative scarcity of timber, and many minor causes which might be enumerated, render Upper California a most healthy country. Most new countries are troubled with ague and fever, and bilious fevers of all varieties; and I am far from saying that California is exempt from them. On the contrary, there is no doubt that large quantities of her quicksilver will be used at home in the shape of calomel, and the demand for quinine will probably be very lively. But these diseases will be contracted chiefly in the low grounds and along the valleys of the rivers, while the uplands, which compose the greater part of California, will be as healthy as any part of the world. Men who stand all day long in the mud and water digging for gold under the scorching rays of a summer sun, will be apt to sicken anywhere; and as their operations will be carried on chiefly in the fever and ague, and bilious region, the gold diggers cannot all hope to escape disease.

There are seasons when the usually healthy portions of the country become sickly. When the rains come prematurely, and afterwards a "dry spell" sets in, then the springing vegetation rots, and the miasma arising from that cause, sometimes produces disease. But this is of rare occurrence, and it is safe to say that California is quite as

healthy as any of our northern States. The doctrine of compensations is well illustrated by the fact that while the settler is obliged to draw his timber and wood a short distance, he is exempt from those diseases to which he would be subject if the whole country were thickly timbered.

A PACIFIC NAVY.-No great time can elapse before our government will preceive the policy of establishing a Pacific navy-a navy built, equipped, and maintained from the resources of California and Oregon. A respectable naval force in the Pacific will be a matter of necessity, and in a few years vessels can be built and equipped at San Francisco and manned from the vast commerce - especially the whaling trade-of the Pacific. Speaking of the whaling trade, it may well be doubted whether it will not undergo great changes when the railroad across the Isthmus shall be constructed. But I shall not stop to discuss that question. A Pacific navy is one of those obvious improvements which our government will hardly hesitate to avail of. At present, ships of war cannot be built and equipped in California, nor can the Pacific trade furnish our ships with seamen. But whenever the latter difficulty shall cease, it will be politic to send out a stationary local navy to the Pacific. It will be a great economy, and a great conveniAt present, about a year is consumed in going backwards and forwards, before and after a cruise, the officers and crew drawing their pay and rations the whole time. Thus, one year out of three is wasted, and great expense and inconvenience incurred, which may hearafter be saved by the establishment of a Pacific navy.

ence.

In a few years, when gold is more difficult to find, and a steady and wealthy population shall have settled down in California, ship-building will become a very important branch of industry. White oak of superior quality for ship

SHIP TIMBER ABUNDANT.

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building is found in abundance north of the bay of San Francisco, and the further north you go, the larger it grows, the better its quality, and the greater the quantity. When the cheap labor of Asia shall be introduced, it is not unlikely that the New York merchant will order ships to be built at San Francisco.