hriving village of Santa Ana is very rich, being
abundantly watered by the Santa Ana River and by artesian-wells. The
town is nine miles from the ocean. On the ocean side the land is mainly
agricultural; on the inland side it is specially adapted to fruit. We
drove about it, and in Tustin City, which has many pleasant residences
and a vacant "boom" hotel, through endless plantations of oranges. On
the road towards Los Angeles we passed large herds of cattle and sheep,
and fine groves of the English walnut, which thrives especially well in
this soil and the neighborhood of the sea. There is comparatively little
waste land in this valley district, as one may see by driving through
the country about Santa Ana, Orange, Anaheim, Tustin City, etc. Anaheim
is a prosperous German colony. It was here that Madame Modjeska and her
husband, Count Bozenta, first settled in California. They own and occupy
now a picturesque ranch in the Santiago Canon of the Santa Ana range,
twenty-two miles from Santa Ana. This is one of the richest regions in
the State, and with its fair quota of working population, it will be one
of the most productive.

From Newport, on the coast, or from San Pedro, one may visit the island
of Santa Catalina. Want of time prevented our going there. Sportsmen
enjoy there the exciting pastime of hunting the wild goat. From the
photographs I saw, and from all I heard of it, it must be as picturesque
a resort in natural beauty as the British Channel islands.

Los Angeles is the metropolitan centre of all this region. A handsome,
solid, thriving city, environed by gardens, gay everywhere with flowers,
it is too well known to require any description from me. To the
traveller from the East it will always be a surprise. Its growth has
been phenomenal, and although it may not equal the expectations of the
crazy excitement of 1886-87, 50,000 people is a great assemblage for a
new city which numbered only about 11,000 in 1880. It of course felt the
subsidence of the "boom," but while I missed the feverish crowds of
1887, I was struck with its substantial progress in fine, solid
buildings, pavements, sewerage, railways, educational facilities, and
ornamental grounds. It has a secure hold on the commerce of the region.
The assessment roll of the city increased from $7,627,632 in 1881 to
$44,871,073 in 1889. Its bank business, public buildings, school-houses,
and street improvements are in accord with this increase, and show
s