hundred. They are of good size, and the mutton is said to be of an
excellent quality, but the wool is coarse. It is, however, well adapted
to the only manufacture of wool that is carried on in the
country,--coarse blankets and _serápes_. But little attention is paid
to hogs here, although the breeds are as fine as I have ever seen
elsewhere. Beef being so abundant, and of a quality so superior, pork
is not prized by the native Californians.

The Senora L. is the first Hispano-American lady I have seen since
arriving in the country. She was dressed in a white cambric robe,
loosely banded round the waist, and without ornament of any kind,
except several rings on her small delicate fingers. Her complexion is
that of a dark brunette, but lighter and more clear than the skin of
most Californian women. The dark lustrous eye, the long black and
glossy hair, the natural ease, grace, and vivacity of manners and
conversation, characteristic of Spanish ladies, were fully displayed by
her from the moment of our introduction. The children, especially two
or three little _senoritas_, were very beautiful, and manifested a
remarkable degree of sprightliness and intelligence. One of them
presented me with a small basket wrought from a species of tough grass,
and ornamented with the plumage of birds of a variety of brilliant
colours. It was a beautiful specimen of Indian ingenuity.

Retiring to bed about ten o'clock, I enjoyed, the first time for four
months, the luxury of clean sheets, with a mattress and a soft pillow.
My enjoyment, however, was not unmixed with regret, for I noticed that
several members of the family, to accommodate us with lodgings in the
house, slept in the piazza outside. To have objected to sleeping in the
house, however, would have been considered discourteous and offensive.