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Hesperothen; Notes From the West. a Record of a Ramble in the United States and Canada
Hesperothen Notes From the West a Record of a Ramble in the United States and Canada Author:William Howard Russell General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1882 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III. SAN FRANCISCO. The Palace Hotel -- General McDowell -- Palo-Alto -- The "Hoodlums " -- The Real Sir Eoger -- Exiles in the Far West -The Chinese Population -- For and Against them -- 'Ihe Sand Lot -- Fast Trotters -- The Sea Lions -- The Diamond Palace -- The Coloured Population -- " Eastward Ho! " The British Consul, Mr. Booker, who has been watching over the interests of the Queen's subjects for some thirty years here, and who is an institution by himself, met the train at a place called, I think, Porta Costa, and welcomed the Duke and his friends. There had been for some days an infusion of the Chinaman in the general element of life along the line, but here it became concentrated, and then ceased to attract much attention. As the train approached the wide expanse of muddy water from the Sacramento, which charges down with impetuous volume, and colours the bay with its turbid stream, we could form an idea of some of the advantages in the expanse of navigable river, that had, however, lain long without appreciation but for the bright red gold possessed by San Francisco. The bay is animated; white canvassed craft stud its waters, and the smoke of steamers pollutes the clear, bracing air. Italian fishermen are busy with line and net, and flights of ducks andThe Palace Hotel. 45 squadrons of gulls and cormorants show that the waters are well stocked. It was too late in the year to see the country in the full affluence of its wealth of fruit and crops, of hay and corn, and the hillsides and fields are now disappointingly brown. Presently we arrived at Oakland, where the train was run out...« less