The population of the place is composed chiefly of native Californian land-proprietors.  Their ranchos are in the valley, but their residences and gardens are in the town.  We visited this afternoon the garden of Senor Don Antonio Sugnol.  He received us with much politeness, and conducted us through his garden.  Apples, pears, peaches, figs, oranges, and grapes, with other fruits which I do not now recollect, were growing and ripening.  The grape-vines were bowed to the ground with the luxuriance arid weight of the yield; and more delicious fruit I never tasted.  From the garden we crossed over to a flouring-mill recently erected by a son-in-law of Don Antonio, a Frenchman by birth.  The mill is a creditable enterprise to the proprietor, and he will coin money from its operations.

The Pueblo de San Jose is one of the oldest settlements in Alta California.  Captain Fisher pointed out to me a house built of adobes, which has been standing between 80 and 90 years, and no house in the place appeared to be more substantial or in better repair.  A garrison, composed of marines from the United States’ ships, and volunteers enlisted from the American settlers in the country, is now stationed here.  The post is under the command of Purser Watmough, of the United States sloop-of-war Portsmouth, commanded by Captain Montgomery.  During the evening I visited several public places (bar-rooms), where I saw men and women engaged promiscuously at the game of monte.  Gambling is a universal vice in California.  All classes and both sexes participate in its excitements to some extent.  The games, however, while I was present, were conducted with great propriety and decorum so far as the native Californians were concerned.  The loud swearing and other turbulent demonstrations generally proceeded from the unsuccessful foreigners.  I could not but observe the contrast between the two races in this respect.  The one bore their losses with stoical composure and indifference; the other announced each unsuccessful bet with profane imprecations and maledictions.  Excitement prompted the hazards of the former, avarice the latter.

September 20.—­The morning was cloudy and cool; but the clouds broke away about nine o’clock, and the sun shone from a vapourless sky, as usual.  We met, at the Pueblo, Mr. Grove Cook, a native of Gerrard county, Ky., but for many years a resident of California.  He is the proprietor of a rancho in the vicinity.  We determined to leave our mules in charge of Mr. Cook’s vaquero, and proceed to San Francisco on hired horses.  The distance from the Pueblo de San Jose to San Francisco is called sixty miles.  The time occupied in performing the journey, on Californian horses at Californian speed, is generally six or seven hours.  Procuring horses for the journey, and leaving our baggage, with the exception of a change of clothing, we left the Pueblo about eleven o’clock A.M.