one of these adobe houses, said to be 250 years old, and I remarked
that his big silver door plate was worth more than all the rest of the
house. Two companies of United States troops are stationed here,
ostensibly to check Indian raids, but really to overawe the " greasers "
native Mexicans whom the soldiers told us they had more fears of
than Indians. The old Spanish-Mexicans, with that proud Castilian
blood that is in their veins, being a conquered race, naturally hate their
conquerers, and would gladly wreak vengeance on their representative
the soldier. But there is a better, a more progressive element
springing up here, as well as elsewhere among these old Spanish towns.
The progressive American system, if not already, soon will be dominant.
Nice, new brick buildings are springing up, streets are laid out wider,
and modern improvements are introduced.
And now we are to cross the great desert ! This elevated, arid, deso-
late country, where nothing of value grows except by irrigation, where
water enough does not flow to moisten a tenth part of the soil; where
respiration is difficult, and headaches common. It does not look as
though for a thousand miles these elevated plains could ever become
settled. Cattle, as poor as crows, are occasionally seen all along the
line, struggling on the plain for the last spear of grass or any other nour-
LETTER FROM MONTEREY. 453
ishing vegetable, or clinging tremulously to some steep acclivity where
might possibly sprout something that would sustain life.
But as we come down from the Mojave Desert on to the rich, level
prairies of the coast, the transition is marvellous; one can scarcely
believe his own eyes. At night, when we retire in our comfortable
vestibuled Pullman palace car, the poor Indian, now only a scattering
remnant of once powerful tribes, was plowing and preparing the soil for
the reception of seed (May 15), representing the early days of spring.
This morning, before 7 o'clock, we have passed over the trestle bridge,
through the tunnel, and are landed, as it were, in the midst of summer,
surrounded by orange groves, graperies, figs, olives, apricots, in the
harvest season of waving grain, with fine houses, cattle, roads, fences,
and all the evidences of wealth and comfortable homes. We have
descended from the high arid desert to the lower arable plains from
savage to civilized life from poverty to affluence of wealth, and all this
has been accomplished in a few hours ! I must not take the space to
recount the blasting influence of wild speculation in many of the towns
and cities on the Pacific slope. This has been spasmodic and periodi-
cal, now here, now there, but the " booming " malaria has sooner or
later touched them all. It began southward and worked northward,
culminating at Tacoma and Seattle, now so sadly laid in ruins. It strikes
us that it is a sort of regular business. A few wealthy, or would-be
wealthy men, get together, form what in modern phrase is called a " syn-
dicate," buy a large tract of land, lay out streets with grandiloquent
names, construct cable roads, build some large houses, with decorated
gardens, rear a magnificent hotel, and then with a masterly hand
and brilliant advertisements, the town is inaugurated; the house lots are
for sale, the " boom " has commenced. The growth of the place is
unprecedented. House lots have in price doubled, trebled, quadrupled,
in an infinitely short space of time ! House lots anywhere are a fortune.
They even went so crazy in Pasadena as to assume that in a few years
the place would be as big as the city of New York ! Many an Eastern
man will be sad when I inform you that many of these fine houses, with
orange trees in full fruitage, graveled walks and lovely fragrant flowers,
have also a small post in a prominent place, with a small bit of board
attached to the upper end, upon which is in plain characters printed:
"For Sale."
But this bit of land called Southern California, which came so cheaply
into our possession, was a fine annex. The land is mostly very fertile,
especially in fruits. We have for generations been obliged to send
to Spain for our raisins, Italy for almonds and olives, Sicily for
oranges, Smyrna for our figs, and La Belle France, for our wines, and
having little trade with those countries, had to send bills exchanged in
payment. Now we are, or soon shall be, not only able to supply these
454 SUPPLEMENT.
luxuries of the best quality in abundance, but shall be able to reciprocate
the kindly favors so cheerfully extended to us for some centuries.
Barley is the principal grain grown in the southern part, is cut green as
a substitute for hay, which does not flourish here, and is fed to horses
in this condition or is regularly harvested, crushed, and fed to them, and
they are said to thrive on it and do good work. It is not a lumber country,
but a good deal of redwood lumber is made at Santa Cruz and other
places, and both northern pine and redwood are brought here and sold
in the rough for $20 to $28 per thousand.
There is an immense quantity of lumber in the neighborhood of the
Yosemite Valley, if it can ever be reached. For fifty miles, up and
down, are some of the finest yellow and sugar pines I ever saw, three
to six feet in diameter and 200 feet high. The "big trees " in Maripbsa
are the wonder of the world, too big to be of any value simply because
they cannot be handled. What can man do with a monster thirty-two
feet in diameter? Were they near a water course they might be floated
to a sawmill, but over a mountain road fifty miles away, they are of no
value. Further down the valley is a chute or race-way fifty-seven miles
long, constructed at a cost of over $200,000, for the purpose of floating
out lumber. The Yosemite Valley presents one of the wonderful works
of nature which about 4,000 people are willing annually to brave over
a rough road sixty-five miles by coach to see. After climbing " rough
quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven," one arrives at
" Inspiration Point," from which he gets a good view of the valley, the
mountains, and falls. The valley is level, about eight miles long by one
and a half wide, is walled in by mountains whose granite heads rise
almost perpendicularly to the height of 3,000 or 4,000 feet above the
valley or 7,000 to 8,000 above the sea level. The Yosemite River
dashes down 3,300 feet over the precipice, and at a single bound leaps
down 1,502 feet, and looks like an immense white horse tail. The
" Bridal Veil " has a fall of 860 feet. The " Sentinel," " Ribbon," and
other falls have a greater height.
While at San Francisco we visited Chinatown at night, the only time
to study Chinese character and habits. They are a very superstitious
set, have many gods, in fact, any man who has done a generous, noble
or heroic deed, may afterwards be set up and worshipped. Their Joss
houses contain many of these gods in human form, with long beards,
in a niche or temple surrounded by gaudy decorations. No public meet-
ings are held, but each individual goes in for a trade with his idol upon
his own terms. Incense or Joss sticks are kept constantly burning.
They have "good" and "bad "devils, but, of course, the good are pro-
pitiated more than the bad. But the cellars and dens where they live
and smoke opium are filthy and disgusting beyond description. If any
. 1bap0oo& anD bis pointer, /Bbarh.
LETTER FROM MONTEREY. 455
man would come out here and see the condition of things, he would be
ashamed to go East and say he wished to reduce American labor to this
condition.
Monterey is one of the towns that has a fine, large hotel one of the
finest on the Pacific coast. The atmosphere is remarkably even, both
summer and winter. The mercury rarely rises above 70 or falls to the
freezing point. For the few days \ve have been here it has been 60 in
the morning and 65 to 70 during the warmest part of the day. The
old town is about one and a quarter miles distant, and one is shown
the old fortification thrown up in the night time by General Fremont
in 1846, which compelled the surrender of the fort and the town.
We are to leave this place on Monday, for San Francisco, and from
that place northward on Wednesday.
W. HAPGOOD.
RECOLLECTIONS OF A HALF CENTURY.
[From Shooting and Fishing, Christmas Number,
LOOKING backward fifty years ! How dim and misty the view ! How
faint the lines become, and how difficult to follow ! In attempting to
retrace our steps over once trod fields and trust to memory as our guide,
we shall be liable to overlook much that would be interesting, and omit
much that should be recorded. To glean the golden grain and reject
the tares is no easy task. Events that greatly impressed us as impor-
tant, and were deeply stamped upon the memory fifty years ago, have
faded into utter insignificance ; while others of less moment linger, as
if "to the manor born." And then some events that transpired fifty
years ago seem fresher in memory than others that happened within a
much less interval ; for instance, we remember precisely where we were
when we first beheld a gun with percussion locks, while we do not
recollect when or where we first saw a hammerless gun. Any errors
we may make in this brief review must be attributed to a deficient
memory rather than to an attempt to deceive, for, above all things, we
abhor a literary fraud.
In no department of letters has greater advances been made than
456 SUPPLEMENT.
SPORTING LITERATURE.
Early in the present century the subject of American ornithology
attracted the attention of naturalists, and works of value began to be
published. The great work of Audubon's, " American Birds " which
cost the author the better part of a lifetime of labor and anxiety was
finished about 1838. Up to about this time few books with nomenclature
and characterization adapted to this country had been published, and
most of them were by foreign authors, whose language was better
adapted to the birds of their own than to this country. The mammalia
of America had been neglected even more than our feathered tribes.
The students of our fauna, thus handicapped, struggled on resolutely
reconstructing and reforming out of such material as was at hand, until
an entire revolution in this branch of science has been wrought. We
presume no country in the world to-day has its fauna better delineated
than our own. The young student of the present time can hardly
realize the difficulties one encountered in the earlier part of the present
century in obtaining satisfactory scientific knowledge as to the habits,
character, range, habitat, or even the adopted names, so as to identify
any particular species ; in fact, the best authors of that day had adopted
no uniform nomenclature, and were constantly combating each other on
propriety or priority. Mark the difference in our ornithological works
to-day ! Every one of our native birds about 1,000 is scientifically
described, named, classified, not by one author, but by scores, more or
less worthy the gratitude not alone of sportsmen, but of the whole
American people. In addition to the standard works on ornithology,
we have an immense periodical literature and sportsmen's papers broad-
cast throughout the length and breadth of the land probably superior
to that of any other country on the globe.
FIREARMS.
In order to make the present generation of sportsmen understand the
marvellous improvements that have been made in firearms, we must go
back somewhat beyond the half-century limit assigned us. The inven-
tion of the compound which we call gunpowder, was invented by the
Chinese, as we are told, about A. D. 600. The process of graining was
not discovered for many years after. This gave birth to the desire for
some sort of implement whereby the expansive force of the explosion
could be applied to projectiles. The bamboo tube was tried, but found
not to have strength enough to resist the pressure. Experiments with
an iron tube met better success. The tube was plugged, the vent created,
and lo ! we have a gun barrel. All those beautiful, laminated, steel gun
barrels which we see so common to-day around us, are the offspring of
this invention. From generation to generation through the centuries
improvements have been made. The method of igniting the explosive
RECOLLECTIONS OF A HALF CENTURY. 457
in the tube was curious, and shows by what slow processes the present
system was evolved. One of the early methods was to tie the tube to a
log, and then, with a coal of fire, ignite the powder. Further on, the
tube, or gun barrel, was fastened to a lighter piece of wood, that could
be held by one man and touched off by another. Later came a contriv-
ance for holding a fuse, and still later the match-lock was invented.
Following these was the flint-lock, the percussion cap, and electric spark.
All the guns in use in our younger days were of the flint-lock pattern.
The flint-lock was an ingenious contrivance for applying the flint and
steel to igniting the powder in the flash pan. The flint and steel was
almost the only method of producing fire known to the people of that
period. Every household had its flint, steel, and tinder box. The old
flint-lock had its mainspring, tumbler, dog, and sear-spring. The ham-
mer held the flint, and, being cocked, when the trigger was pressed, fell
with great force upon the steel anvil, which covered the flash pan,
throwing it back, and forcing the fire along down its surface to the
powder in the pan, which it ignited, and, the flame being pressed through
the vent, exploded the charge in the gun. All this process occupied
a very brief period of time, during which the gun must be held
steadily to point. This slow process of combustion, together with the
extreme length of the gun, rendered it almost useless for wing shooting
in tall cover; but the earlier settlers had no other. Most of the guns in
use down to and during the first quarter of the present century were
such as were brought out by immigrants, and of a very miscellaneous
character.
Confronted by a savage foe, as the first settlers were, the need of arms
for defence, and for procuring food, was most urgent. In this pressing
emergency, a few ingenious mechanics here and there one under-
took to manufacture by hand one or more guns. Ammunition was
scarce and procured with great difficulty, and to economize in this
respect, these guns were mostly made of small caliber 20, or even
smaller. Some of these home-made guns were very neat and wonderful
specimens of artistic design and workmanship. We can hardly under-
stand how, with the means at hand, such beautiful examples were pro-
duced. It must be remembered that there was not in the whole country,
in that era, what would be called to-day a set of mechanic's tools, or any
sort of tool, ready made, for sale. If a carpenter, or other mechanic,
wanted an ax, hammer, chisel, or other tool, he must make it himself, or
rely upon the skill of the village blacksmith for it.
The few men that were led by genius or curiosity to attempt making a
gun were, by the same forces, taught to make their own tools for the
enterprise. We are in possession of one of these heirlooms that fell to
us from our ancestor, and as it is a fine specimen, in excellent preserva-
tion, a brief description of it may not be unprofitable or uninteresting to
458 SUPPLEMENT.
the younger readers of Shooting and Fishing. The barrel is forty-eight
inches long, and the breech sixteen inches, or a total length of sixty-four
inches. Some of the guns of that era were much longer. Then there is
a bayonet over a foot long, which forces us to the conclusion that the
arm was intended for warlike purposes, as well as for the peaceful pur-
suits of a sportsman. The stock is of cherry, and extends the entire
length of the barrel, except a space of about three inches for fixing the
bayonet. All the trimmings, the quills, trigger, and breech guards, the
tablet for date and name, and the long muzzle sight, are of brass. It
has iron ramrod, as most guns had at that date, especially if intended for
bullets. Of course there was a bullet mold, and leather pouch, or bag,
for carrying ammunition, "priming wire and brush, and two spare flints,"
as the statute required. The pouch, which was a curiosity in model
we regret to say, mysteriously disappeared.
This gun, during the lifetime of its owner, hung high up on its sacred
hooks, out of the reach of the children, and must not be handled by any
one except on very special occasions, such as when a rapacious hawk
attempted surreptitiously to purloin a chicken, or a felicitous crow
presumed on a premature harvest of the corn, for the gun was ever
loaded ready for such like intrepid intruders, and marvellous stories are
told of the great distances at which an enemy had been made to "bite the
dust." In the field, among squirrels and partridges, it was said to have
had no superior. It was customary in those days to make turkey and
chicken shoots, about Thanksgiving time, open to all. The fowl would
be set up on a stump or stone, at twenty rods for ball, and twelve for
shot, and this little twenty-three gauge gun, made by Phinheas Sawyer, in
Harvard, Massachusetts, in the year 1777, was sure to win for its owner
a full share of the booty. We well remember, in our youthful days,
when the governor was absent, how rapidly our sporting proclivities
developed, and we stealthily mounted a chair, took the forbidden arm
from its hooks, and with the worm on the end of the iron ramrod, drew
the tow wad and emptied out the shot, knowing, by sad experience, that
so heavy a charge would be more likely to lay us upon the ground
than the sparrow or chipmunk aimed at.
In those days there was among the boys great scarcity of money,
and we had to practise some pretty nice strategic movements in order
to secure the necessary funds to carry on the season's campaign. Trap-
ping and snaring were resorted to, and occasionally a rabbit or
musquash pelt would fall to the treasury department, or some good
friend would drop a penny into the slot of the banking house to cheer
the heart of its owner. So hard pressed were some of the boys for
shot, that sheet lead, or junks of lead beaten into sheets, would be cut
into strips, and these in turn into square bits, as substitutes for shot,
RECOLLECTIONS OF A HALF CENTURY. 459
and at short range were quite effectual and more satisfactory than peas
or pebbles, both of which were at times used.
The primitive contrivances for carrying ammunition were not only
curious but amusing. The powder horns, which were so universally
used, were of great antiquity, and served their purpose through many
wars. They were of a great variety of shapes, colors, and workmanship ;
some were plain, in the rough, while others were selected with great
care for their clearness, boiled until quite soft, and then shaved and
scraped down very thin so that the owner could at any moment see
through the transparent horn how much powder he had on hand, which
might be of the highest importance to him. The outside of some of
the horns was decorated with artistic figures carved upon them, such
as birds, beasts, landscapes, Indians, and the like. These curiously
wrought powder horns had the large end closed by a carved wood
stopper, and the small or service end, by a small stopper of the same
material. In some families they were prized highly, and handed down
from father to son through many generations. By some they were
regarded and kept with that veneration the Alaskan does his sacred
totem pole. Shot was also carried in horns, in the absence of a leather
pouch, and, when neither was at hand, loosely in the pocket. No
charger but the hand was known in those days, and the amount of
ammunition served was regulated by the eye according to the size of gun
and game, more, of course, for a bear or deer than for a partridge or
squirrel.
The legislature was annually convoked on the last Wednesday in May,
which was then called election day, and this, especially with the boys,
became a sort of holiday. It was customary for the lads in a neighbor-
hood to assemble at an appointed time and place for a grand hunt.
They would organize by the choice of captains, and these high and
distinguished officers were to select alternately from the assembly such
as had a reputation as hunters, and at the end of the day the judges
were to decide which party was victorious. All sorts and sizes of guns
were brought into service, and nearly all the birds and animals that were
met might be killed.
As each bird and animal had a fixed value, small birds for instance
counting one, while the largest would count eight or more, it was easy
for the judges to determine which was the defeated side. Usually there
was no penalty attached to the defeat, but the mortification was grievous
and lasted through the year. The impecunious condition of the youth
did not allow of a sumptuous dinner at the hotel in token of the victory
of 'lection day, but the good mothers, rejoicing with their sons that they
could have one day of freedom from toil in the year, would provide
'lection cake and pumpkin pies, and possibly lemonade, for the great
occasion, and this terminated the boys' holiday. If we contrast those
460 SUPPLEMENT.
frugal days with the present luxurious style of living, we shall be
forcibly struck by the result of the two methods. It is certain that
many qf those boys trained in the school of adversity did find that
those rigid rules of economy, born of a necessity, were of great service
in after life, carrying them through a business career that ended in
wealth and honor.
The growing sentiment of the people was, however, opposed to this
wholesale slaughter of the beautiful song birds for mere amusement,
and efforts were made for its suppression. The farmers discovered
that destruction of the insectivorous birds meant destruction of certain
crops. These birds were their friends and allies, keeping the trees and
vines free from their enemies the moths and larvae and they must
not be destroyed. The day for convening the General Court was in
1831 changed from the last Wednesday in May to the first Wednesday
in January, and the boys 'lection holiday, with all its iniquities, gradually,
after many years, became extinct, and the little birds rejoiced. So
strong had public opinion become in regard to the usefulness of our
feathered tribes, that, with few exceptions, they are now protected by
stringent laws, which, we are happy to believe, are pretty generally
observed. In this we think we see more clearly than ever that evolution
is taking place in morals as well as in mechanics.
There was a class of guns in general use in this country down to
about 1850, or to the time that lighter and better began to be made
wholly or in part by machinery. These old guns were known as
" King's arms," and were such as had been taken from the British
during the wars of the Revolution and of 1812, or perhaps some were
left here by the royalists during the first-named war as they precipitously
departed for Nova Scotia and other places. These guns were long,
single barrel, heavy flint-lock things, twelve gauge, and weighing about
twelve pounds. The youthful sportsman of to-day would be surprised,
if he should meet one of these veterans in the field, to think that any-
thing could be killed with one of the clumsy arms. But they were quite
popular; in fact, about the best guns in use for ducks and large game,
especially for ducks and geese shot from a boat or shore battery. As
the open hand was the usual charger, and as the gun was large and
strong, about a handful of powder would be turned in for a goose or
duck at long range, and in most cases they proved quite destructive.
These guns, together with the smaller bores, were many of them altered
to percussion locks by introducing a tube in place of the flash pan and
the hammer to strike the cap. Even down to the present day these guns
may be seen in use along shore or in remote rural districts.
About 1830 there was a fashion for bell muzzle guns, and a few were
imported. Some of these guns had elliptical mouths, which it was
thought would spread the shot horizontally and devastate the greater
RECOLLECTIONS OF A HALF CENTURY. 461
part of a flock. At first it was believed that the bell muzzle had less
recoil, but after a while the opinion that they would scatter more and
had less penetration gained ground ; the fad was finally abandoned.
No innovation has made a greater revolution in firearms than the
discovery of the