and
about six feet wide and four feet high. In the construction of them,
stakes, eight or ten feet long, are driven into the ground, and are
brought together so as to form an arch at the top; and trusses of straw,
badly arranged upon these stakes, defend the inhabitants from the wind
and rain.

Near the Spanish settlement of _Monterey_, in north latitude 30 degrees
35 minutes, M. de la Perouse, the French navigator, states that the soil
is tolerably fertile and productive; and the climate is mild, though
foggy. This part of California produces, in abundance, olives, figs,
pomegranates, grapes, and peaches; the trees of which have all been
planted by the missionaries. Beyond Monterey, the interior of the
country is covered with immense forests of pines and other trees.

North of California is _New Albion_, a country so called by Sir Francis
Drake, who originally discovered it in the year 1578. It was visited
about two hundred years afterwards, by Captain Cook. The country is
mountainous; and, during the winter and spring, the mountains are
covered with snow. The valleys and the grounds along the sea-coast, are
clad with trees, and appear like a vast forest.

Captain Cook sailed northward along the coast of New Albion, and
anchored his vessels in an inlet called _Nootka Sound_. The inhabitants
of the adjacent country approached his ships, and offered for sale the
skins of various animals; garments of different kinds, some of fur, and
others formed of the bark of trees. But, of all the articles brought to
market, the most extraordinary, were human skulls, and hands not quite
stripped of their flesh, some of which had evident marks of having been
upon the fire. The articles which the natives took, in exchange for
their commodities, were knives, chisels, pieces of iron and tin, nails,
looking-glasses, buttons, or any kind of metal. Though the commerce was,
in general, carried on with mutual honesty, there were some among these
people who were much inclined to theft. And they were extremely
dangerous thieves; for, possessing sharp iron instruments, they could
cut a hook from a tackle, or any other piece of iron from a rope, the
moment that the backs of the English were turned; and the dexterity with
which they conducted their operations of this nature, frequently eluded
the most cautious vigilance. In the progress of the commerce, they would
deal for nothing but metal; and, at length, brass was so eagerly sought
for, in p